Let's be honest, it's hard to put Jesus first in our lives. With family, friends, sports, school, and our busy schedules it seems impossible to stay connected with the Creator of our universe. But I don't think that Jesus want's to be first, and he definitely doesn't want to be last. So he must want to be somewhere in the middle. In the middle of your mess, in the middle of your family, in the middle of your school, in the middle of your heart. So if you feel distant from the Lord, know that he wants to be near. There are three places where Jesus wants to be the center, in your relationships, in your spirit, and in your schedule.
Relationships
Our relationship with God is almost as important as our relationships with others. These relationships can come from other faithful people like yourself. These Christ-centered relationships are crucial to helping support you in times of internal and external battles. As only God knows what is going to happen in the future if a tragedy such as a sickness or death were to occur, it is truly great that you can fall back onto a community of people that are strengthened in God and can support you in your time of need.
Relationships that you form do not always have to be deep connections, but knowing that there are people there to support you and be able to fall back on is more than anyone could ever ask for. Even if you don't have a traumatic event in your life, maybe you are just having a bad day. Just to have someone there for you that you can go to and say, "Hey, I'm really struggling with this, would you please help?", is a really comforting feeling to have.
These relationships are also about surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Someone that you are able to go to that inspires you to involve Jesus more in your life. They can also provide you with the ability to look and appreciate all that God has provided you with in life because let's be honest, it is not very often that we find ourselves truly thinking about how blessed we really are.
Spirit
It can be overwhelming to keep up with your relationship with Christ. There are so many rules that society puts in place. For example, you have to wake up at 5 am and read your bible, you have to pray before every meal, you have to go to church every Sunday morning. All of these things are great, but Jesus is more concerned with the state of your spirit. Do you tend to say "I have to" when you should be saying "I get to"? Jesus wants us to pursue his love that is evident in His word, but we must come with a humbled spirit and opened mind.
Not only does Christ want us to spend quiet moments with Him, He wants to be the center of our thoughts throughout the day. How often do you converse with the savior? God is present in every moment, but do you recognize it? The thing about faith is that when the world is raging around us and evil seems to have the upper hand, we can look inward and know that Christ is in us and he is for us. Therefore, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
In our daily lives, faith is our solid ground. And when we hit rock bottom, God is there. So put Jesus right in the middle of your heart and create a strong foundation on which God can build His kingdom.
Schedule
We've all done it. We've made the excuse that we do not have time to say a prayer or think in meditation. To that, I say that it is a bunch of malarkey. In the thirty seconds that you wasted coming up with that excuse, you could have said a prayer. Prayer is not always formal. It is like having a conversation with a friend. Scratch that. God is your friend. Prayer is talking with your friend. So there is no way that someone can make up an excuse to not having time to talk. It can be out loud or in your thoughts. Either way, God is going to hear it and he is going to respond. That is because He wants to be in the center of your life.
The other common excuse that I hear is when people do not have time to go to church. I understand that our lives are busy. But what I don't understand is how can someone not be able to reserve one hour. One simple hour. When it comes to worshipping God, all that stress from your week is relieved in that one hour. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yolk upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). God is not asking much from you. So if you are one of the people that find yourself stressing over sports or other commitments on Sundays, maybe the best thing to do is rid your body of a heavy burden and take on a lighter one.
Maybe the problem for you not attending is that you don't feel comfortable. Something that I cannot stress enough is that you should be comfortable in the House of God. Some people may prefer a traditional church over a contemporary church. For others, it is the other way around. But one thing is for certain, each place has the same goal: to be able to worship and praise God in a setting where you can be open and feel comfortable.
Following Jesus isn't meant to be easy. You might have to make some changes, and that's ok! Change is good, and including the savior in your daily life is a change for the best. In a world full of darkness, Jesus wants to be your guiding light. So let Him.
