The Distance We Create
“The Lord draws us back, sometimes with a yell, often in a whisper. Sometimes through tragedy, other times through blessings. Sometimes forcefully, sometimes gently. But our Father is always watching and beckoning us to return.”
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8 ESV)
Let’s talk about going to the beach as a parent for a minute. I have always loved the beach. It is so relaxing. I love to camp out under the umbrella with a good book. It’s the perfect place to let my mind truly take a break. Now, as a mama, it is a different story. I quickly realized on our family beach trip with our 3-year-old and 6-year-old that my relaxing days were behind me, at least for a while. Don’t get me wrong- I love this time with my kids. I treasure it. But it is work!
We lug what feels like all our belongings out onto the sand. We stopped wasting our time with the beach wagon. They don’t work. We wind up just dragging it behind us. By the time we get to the shore, we feel as if we have completed a CrossFit workout. Now sweating, we slather our squirmy kids with sunscreen, fight the good fight of putting on their floaties, and then send them on their way. At first, they stay close by and play in the sand in front of our chairs. It doesn’t take them long to start venturing out toward the water, though.
I am a paranoid mess. No reading. No zoning out. My eyes mostly stay fixed on my children to make sure they are safe, to make sure they don’t drift too far. One detail worth mentioning is that both kids wear glasses. So while they are playing on the beach, they can’t see well. They need to be close to me to truly see me. They often pause to look for me, and I sometimes see a flash of panic in their faces when they can’t spot me right away. But my eyes don’t leave them; I am always watching, and I always know exactly where they are on the shore. As the minutes pass, they begin to feel more comfortable with putting distance between us, only pausing occasionally to look up for my face. They drift further and further down the shore, laughing, playing, engulfed in fun. They look up less frequently to search for my reassuring face. Eventually, I know that I need to call them to come back. I yell for them, but inevitably I must rise out of my chair to go fetch them because the ocean is too loud. It drowns out my voice. They return, and we repeat this process roughly 1100 times throughout the day. If you know, you know!
I have wandered down the shore, too, creating a distance between the Lord and myself. I allow my life to drown out His voice, and I become engulfed in busyness. My vision is disoriented, and I only see what is closest to me. I need to be close to Him to see Him- to hear Him. I forget to look up. And over time, I don’t even recognize my surroundings- the joy and the discipline of praying and reading the Word are missing. There is a gaping distance now that I didn’t even realize was forming. And I created it. I moved away.
God is our Father- ever present, unmoving, and always faithful. As a parent, I often imagine the heart of our Father as He watches us drift out of His presence over and over again. The longer we are away, the more comfortable we become with the distance. The Lord draws us back, sometimes with a yell, often in a whisper. Sometimes through tragedy, other times through blessings. Sometimes forcefully, sometimes gently. But our Father is always watching and beckoning us to return. The distance we create can close with our first step of obedience toward Him. But our first step is acknowledging that we moved.
You know if the distance is there. It is so easy to ignore. It is easy to focus on what is immediately in front of you, but you know if His presence is missing. I want to encourage you to do a few things if you find yourself in this place, further down the shore than you intended to be.
1. Remember to look up.
We need to look for the Lord daily. We do this through prayer and getting into the Word. I love this verse: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 ESV). In the context of this verse, the Israelites are exiled in Babylon, far from their home. One day they’ll return, and the Lord reminds them of this promise while they wait. The promise is ours as well. If we truly seek Him, if we truly look for Him, we will find Him. He is never far. What a merciful Father we have!
2. Return to the things you once did when you were near to Him.
We often drift because we stop doing the things that fix our gaze on Him. We become apathetic in our prayer lives. We stop getting into the Word little by little, until we stop altogether. We leave His side and then wonder why we can’t feel His presence. Get into the Word daily. Talk to the Lord. Foster your relationship with Him. I can echo the psalmist when he declares, “But for me it is good to be near God…” (Psalm 73:28a ESV). I have drifted away, but there is nothing better than remaining near to the Lord. There is nothing better than returning.
I promise you- the Lord’s eyes are on you. He has never left. To see Him, to hear Him, draw near to Him.