Are you a spiritual loser? - Part 2

If the information in Part 1 of this series describes you, then take heart; you are not alone!  Your problem isn't the lack of desire.  You truly do crave a connection with God.  You want your heart to be full.  You long to know God more deeply and to be more connected to Him.

So what's wrong?  Why does connecting with God seem so difficult to do?

Answer: Unrealistic expectations and an unrealistic plan

Every person you come across is in a different place in their relationship with God.  This lesson could not have become more clear to me than when I started working with students.  I would get frustrated with them because they weren't growing like I thought they should (or if I'm more honest, like I wish I was).  I kept heaping these unrealistic expectations on them and coupled it with an unrealistic plan to "Read the Bible Through In A Year."  To that point in my life (age 20), I still hadn't read the Bible through in its entirety.  Yet, that didn't keep me from challenging them to read it through as 13, 14 and 15 year old students.

How did they do?  They failed.  How did I do?  I failed.  Why?

It was unrealistic.  Growing in your relationship with God is about baby steps.  If you aren't reading your Bible and praying every night, then starting a plan of having a "quiet time" with God for an hour each day is unrealistic.  Start off with 5 minutes.  Read a passage of scripture and then chew on it for a while.  Don't just read the Bible to say that you've done it.  Glean from it.  Abide in it.

Start small, but start somewhere.  As long as you are constantly taking those baby steps you are headed in the right direction.  Don't get discouraged when you miss an appointment with God either.  God understands but don't allow that missed appointment to steer you off the path of a deeper relationship with God.

Where will you start today?  What baby step do you need to take?