The Lord's handmaidens

The fleeting nature of our daily lives passes by too swiftly, robbing us of precious moments meant for communion with God. At a conference I attended in Minnesota, USA, I was moved by a preacher sharing intriguing research titled “Our Lives in Numbers.” It revealed that the average human life, spanning 78 years, allocates around 26 years to sleep, 10 years to work, 3.66 years to eating, a mere 0.54 years to prayer, and just 0.46 years to church attendance. When we digest these figures, we discover the staggering reality that throughout our entire lifetime, we spend just over a year engaging with our faith. This stark contrast highlights how much of our time is surrendered to mundane pursuits instead of nurturing our connection with God.

I struggled with the painful feeling of God being far away, longing to know why He felt so distant. I reached out to Him, I called Him, I prayed earnestly, giving my all even as I felt weak and faint, desperately seeking answers. I tried to convince myself that my Christian life was fine; after all, I was a Christian. But deep down, I knew I couldn’t communicate directly with God, and the connection to Him was blocked, leaving me unaffected by the very things that should excite my spirit—the things of God no longer moved me.

Little did I know that our sins distance us from the loving embrace of God! Sin occurs when He calls us to act, yet we hesitate; it doesn’t have to be an obvious wrong like lying or stealing. As redeemed Christians, we are called to embody certain actions, and each time we retreat with carelessness, we allow Satan to weave a web that makes restoration an uphill battle.

As a Christian called to serve, it’s disheartening to find myself in a duty post where I fail to propagate the essence of Christ, instead engaging in the triviality of affirming sin through laughter or vague comments on social media, as if it’s just a minor thing! Yet, I have weighed the balances and found myself wanting; no sin is too little for God! Just as we honor our earthly fathers, let us honor and reverence God even more, steering clear of worldly distractions, for he or she who loves the world does not truly possess the love of the Father. We must boldly reflect the image of Christ that is expected of us in salvation, rather than teetering on the edge of the world’s ephemeral beauty.

When we find ourselves in this overwhelming dilemma, what do we do? If we take a moment to deeply scrutinize our lives, we will uncover the painful truth that we are found wanting, burdened by wasted years spent neglecting our sacred duty to serve God. Years have slipped away as we’ve approached the divine with laxity and indifference, failing to passionately spread the life-changing word of God we once embraced. Those lost years are filled with ungodly intimate friendships that pull us closer to the world, and as we awaken to this reality, God fervently speaks to us about our deviations and the wrong paths we’ve taken.

The GOOD NEWS is that deep prayers of repentance and mercy can erase and restore the years we have wasted denying God’s purpose and wasting God’s virtue. Through concentrated and genuine prayers of mercy and help, we can be forgiven, and those wasted years can be restored. The Bible says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:16. We pray according to how we are being led by the Spirit of God and believe in faith that Christ, the propitiation for our sins, will have mercy and forgive us of whatever sin we are being reminded of as we pray; we persevere and pray until we are sure there is no more sin in us.

In these challenging times, how crucial it is to have a vibrant Christian community to uplift us through fervent prayers and the Word! Let us dive into collective prayers and energizing Bible studies, reaching out to a faithful friend to guide us or pray alongside us as we fervently seek restoration. When we do this, the glorious miracle of restoration unfolds! The beauty of restoration is awe-inspiring; when it arrives, God wipes away all those years of carelessness, and our relationship with Him not only continues but flourishes—better than ever, as if we had never strayed.

After restoration, do we simply slip into a state of complacency? Absolutely not!

The essence of true Christianity is a fervent commitment to live a life devoted to God and His divine service, to embody the very spirit of Christ! This existence transcends mere routines of work and church involvement. God desires for us to dwell in His mighty power—first, to rise triumphantly above sin, and then to stand boldly in defiance of the darkness, just as Jesus did! Believers can soar to this magnificent level of spirituality by wholeheartedly dedicating their time to Him; we must prioritize spending every precious moment with God over any other activity in our day. Indeed, an ever-increasing portion of our lives should be joyfully immersed in the glorious presence of God!

Generally, as fervent young Christians, we must fervently dedicate a specific time each day to immerse ourselves in the presence of God and stay unwaveringly committed to it. The essence of a Christian community is a powerful catalyst in our spiritual journey and deepening faith. If you discover an online community that resonates with your heart, throw yourself into it wholeheartedly! God sees and cherishes every act of devotion and camaraderie.