“God Is Like Abs”

God puts different obstacles and challenges in our lives for reasons. Many times, we can become a greater person through the difficulties and learn from them.

But when we are in a period that seems like we are drowning and that there is no upside to whatever we are facing, it is easy to become distant from God. Heck, it’s easy to become distant from God even when you are content with life or your relationship with Him.

Why is that?

Because our relationship with God is something that we have to constantly work at.

God is a good God, and He wants us to reach out to Him. He longs for us so badly that He sent down His only son to be beaten and crucified just so we could be saved. He has done His part already, now He is just waiting on our response.

Sometimes I think that when we become distant from God, we expect Him to do all the work. I think many of us have this notion that God will just come to us one day out of nowhere and our life will be changed forever. And while this is possible (just look at Saul), it’s also unlikely.

I’ve realized that you can’t expect for God to just come into your life and make everything beautiful without working at it. There are going to be struggles and different seasons in your life. That is when we need to turn to Him the most.

I was talking to my friend about how I see so many Christians around me not truly living out their faith, and almost blaming God for the condition that their relationship with Him is. And my friend had this amazing analogy.

God is like abs.

Yes, you read that right. God is like abs.

Everyone wants them, but most of the times we aren’t willing to do the exercises and follow the diet necessary to get them.

So what do we all do? We sit there without abs.

Or maybe we do the workout once, and it feels intense and it kicked our butt. And then ten minutes after we finish our one workout, we lift up our shirt and check to see if we have abs. But we don’t.

The best kind of relationships don’t happen after one conversation. They need time to grow so that they can one day blossom. Well God wants us to blossom.

I encourage you to not settle for mediocrity in your life. That is not what you were created for. You were created to live a life full of God’s blessings and to live like Jesus.

One bible verse I always find myself turning to is Matthew 6:33.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

This bible verse is a reminder that when we follow the Lord and chase after an authentic love, everything else in our life falls into place. No matter the circumstances, no matter where you are in life, our God is a good God. So now I challenge you (and myself!) to change up your routine with God. Here are a few ideas:

• Journal- Spend some time writing out your prayers. This allows you pray and be creative at the same time, while also holding you accountable to regularly spending time with the Lord.
• Dive into the Word- This one might be obvious, but something I definitely struggle with. The Bible is God’s gift to us and a great resource for us to get to know who the Lord truly is.
• Pray with friends- Praying with friends is important! You can ask someone to grab dinner and pray before you eat, or maybe find a partner to do a bible study with. Bring God into your other relationships and watch them prosper!
• Spend some time in nature- Nature is one of the most common places people feel like they encounter God. Go somewhere beautiful, take it all in, and then lift up your grateful heart to Him.
• Ask someone to pray over you- The first time I asked someone to pray over me, it was an incredible experience because I got to hear God speak through my friend to me. I highly recommend it.
• Schedule your prayer time- Sometimes we get so busy with our everyday lives that we forget to make time with God. Build some time into your schedule, or even try dedicating a new time of the day solely to prayer. It gives you a chance to recharge.

---

“But truly God has listened; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.” Psalm 66:19.