by Bethany
For months and months I had been unhappy; life was overwhelming me, and I could not get my schedule under control. Many times I shed tears and begged God to help me. Only now have I realized that I expected to live the way I wanted, and that when things turned ugly, God would make everything nice and easy for me.
“God does not want you for a fair-weather friend.” I was watching “Anne of Green Gables” a few weeks ago, and this line, spoken by Marilla, hit me like a ton of bricks. A “fair-weather friend.” That’s just what I was. And really, that is no friend at all.
How often do you see your best friend? Write to her? Talk to her? Very often, I am sure. I know it is true for my best friend and me. Liesl and I have exchanged hundreds of letters and e-mails, and dozens of phone calls. Why? Because we love each other—our relationship is important to us—and if we’re not in constant, regular communication, our friendship will dwindle away to nothing.
But what about our Best Friend? What about our relationship with our Heavenly Father? How often do we talk to Him? How often do we read His Word? If Liesl sent me letters and I barely skimmed over their contents, or read through them completely bored, could I say that she was my friend and meant a great deal to me? Certainly not. If you truly love your friend, everything she has to say will be interesting and important to you. It is the same in our relationship with God. To have a true, deep, close relationship with Him means that we must make Him a priority in our lives. He has written us letters, and we must read, ponder, and memorize them. We must come to Him every day and share our thoughts, feelings, joys, and sorrows. We must pursue Him with all our strength. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
Over the last few years, I have read many articles that encourage regular times with God each day. I have been brought up to read my Bible and pray each morning. I have desired a close relationship with God. But I have just begun to realize how important my devotions really are, and how much I need to desire to be close to God. Some of my friends have shared with me the joy and strength they have in their walk with the Lord, and their words have stirred up a longing for the same experience in my own life. I tried and tried to do right, but all of my efforts ended in misery and failure. Again and again I cried out to God, “What is wrong? Why am I failing?” I “surrendered my will” and tried to place my trust in God, but I finally learned that although I needed to do those things, there was something equally vital that I had to do. Something very simple. Something that had been taught to me since I was old enough to understand…. Come to Him every morning. Meditate on His Words and pray.
And so, dear sisters, I want to encourage you to do just that. We will never, ever be able to grow close to God and know Him unless we read the Bible, in which He reveals Himself to us. Our efforts will inevitably fail if we are not walking with God every day. We must humbly come before His Throne and seek His guidance. That is truly the foundation of each day; without it, we will be like the foolish man who built his house upon sand. I ask you: on what are you building your house?
Seeking Him, Bethany
Bethany, age 16, lives with her family (which includes two brothers and a sister), and has always been educated at home. She enjoys reading classics & doctrinal/inspirational books, listening to classical & Celtic music, cooking, singing, writing, computer graphics, and so much more.
Originally published in the Spring 2000 YLCF Journal.
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