Between Us and God

What comes between us and God?

That is the question we need to ask each day. For each person, it is different. It could be objects, emotion, other people. Something tends to stand in between us and God. It is one of those aforementioned things that causes us to struggle, even though all of these things are most likely good in and of themselves.

Perhaps if we would stop placing other things in our central view, we would see, as we refocus, that our God, the Creator of the universe, is there for us. It is in Him that our planning should be placed.

Here is where I need to practice. I think we all do. The centre object in focus is not always God. While we may be praying about something, we hang onto it with our own desires attached. We don't truly let Him take care of it.

But what causes us to stray or fall off the straight and narrow?
I think a lot of it is expectations.
Expectations we set on ourselves based on someone else, or many other people, or culture.
Worldly views and expectations.

We see in the world what we think is what our lives should be, and if we set our minds to be there, then our decisions and goals lead us there. But every situation is different. Every person is different. We are perused and prodded by friendly folks we know asking about being married, having children, or moving on to a next step. While they do not mean any harm, they are instituting the worldly expectations on us all the time if they do not know us deeply. If you are not moving along with the ways of the world, there must be something wrong with you, right? General acquaintances do not know our souls and our lives. Family and dear friends do.

Think about how deeply certain people know you. You could probably name the people in your life who know you so deeply, they can finish your sentences for you and read your mind. If these special people know you and can predict what you need and when you need it, just think about God and how He somehow knows us to the core. He does not predict, like us mere mortals. He knows all.

I hope we do not let the crowded voices of the world make our decisions. I hope our decision-making is based on more than what we know, or think we know. With prayers and mindful thinking. Not emotional and of-the-moment thinking. But thoughtful and deep thinking. This is when the things that come between us and God vanish. And it's just us and God. As it should be.