Sunday, November 11, 2012

My Pawpaw Once Said....

Today I recall wise words from my pawpaw, which were, "Prayer is the hand that strikes down Satan".

Prayer. Do I pray enough? Obviously, most people would answer no. Can we ever truly pray enough? I know for sure that I do not pray nearly enough. Sadly, I am distracted by many things this world has to offer. Things like social media, for example.

However, I would say one of my biggest distractions is actually keeping a clean house. You might say I'm a little obsessive...ok, a lot obsessive. Who wouldn't be though- when you have a husband, two fur-babies, and a 10 month old. Am I right? If I let the tidying up go for even a few minutes, things can get pretty messy real quick.

Another distraction from praying would be my sweet son, Oliver Wayne. No need to explain how that happens, right? ;)

Could my school work be a distraction? Um, yes. Although, it is a distraction that is less appealing than the other two, I might add.

And yet another distraction is my lack of passion. Yes, hard to admit, but that is actually the biggest reason for a prayer life that is lacking. I believe that no matter how busy a person is, if they are truly passionate about the Lord Jesus Christ, then they will find time to pray. That is why I will be the first to admit that I lack the passion for Christ that I once had. Where did it go?

Well, I know that God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Therefore, it is not God that left me, it is me that left God. Did I leave Him intentionally? Certainly not. I believe it was gradual, (and isn't that the way Satan works)? Oh, and when I say "Leave Him", I don't mean that I have lost my faith in Jesus or turned my back on Him. I just mean that my passion for Him has dwindled. However, I do not take that lightly. I want to be either hot or cold, never lukewarm for Christ. Don't we all desire to either be on fire, or refreshing as far as our spiritual lives go? I sure do!

Basically, I think that over time I became distracted with the things of this world. Getting my dream job, getting married, having a baby, going to school...All of these things are good things, yes. But- when they take the place of God- they become idols.

Another thing that can distract us from a passionate prayer life is just the world we live in. Right now, a lot of people say that if you are a Christian, you are narrow minded and judgemental. They say that all religions are right. I am actually studying world religions in school right now, and it has been eye-opening. Eye-opening in the sense that many Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims (just to name a few) are so dedicated to what they beleive that it is personally convicting. Why am I not that committed to prayer? I realize that for those of other religions, it is all about following rituals. With Christianity, it is about the relationship. Where is my relationship though? Shouldn't I be so passionate that it shows in my day to day routine?

I believe my Pawpaw's saying was right in every way. I believe that Satan has caused these blessings from God to become idols and in order for God to reign supreme in my heart of hearts, I must pray through, (and of course study the Bible too). I must pray- when I would rather get on a social media website. I must pray- when I would rather clean my house. I must pray- when I would rather play with my son. Well, with the latter, how about pray while I play with my son? Hehe. Actually, I can pray continually...as the Bible says.

My Pawpaw lived in a day and age where the basics of life were clear, and maybe it was easier to live passionately for Christ, but- maybe it wasn't. Regardless, I need to get back to the basics of life.






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