Beating the Slump

It's just me and you talking, right?  Can I be honest?  I'm in a bit of a slump when it comes to God.  My prayers don't flow as easily as they used to.  I'm feeling restless at the lack of clarity to my future.  Days seem to fly by one to the other before I can even catch my breath.

Maybe the change in my schedule has thrown off my routine.  Maybe I'm not reading the Bible because it's no longer my job to study it.  Maybe my faith was never that strong to begin with.  And, as I travel further and further away from being a “professional faither”, I’m realizing just how hard this whole faith thing really is.

                      

But, that’s how relationships are.  Give and take.  Highs and lows.  Ebbs and flow.  It's not that I've fallen out of love; it’s just that for the first time I have to really work at it.   I’m not complaining; this is probably the best thing that could happen to me.  I can’t take anything for granted.  Every moment I do steal away to read, pray, and write is precious.  They are just not as numerous as they once were.

If faith in God is conversely a relationship with God; than shouldn’t I approach this slump with the same perseverance and attitude as I would in my own relationships?  What I felt a slump in my marriage?  How would I respond?  What steps would I take to rectify the relationship?  Where would I poke and prod to discover the weak points in the connection?

First, I would remember what created this love in the first place. What memories do I have that brings levity to the weight?  I would remember all of the times they have been there for me, even when nobody else was.  I would allow myself to be captivated by that love once again.  It’s so easy to see only the hand in front of your face when the fog descends.  But it only takes that one song, a visit to that one spot, that one conversation with a friend to allow their love to flood your memories once again, and breathe life into the deadness of your relationship.

However, that only works for a moment.  Memories are just that – momentary glimpses into the past.  For any relationship to work there must be a future.  But, how do you manufacture a future?  You certainly can’t contrive love out of thin air, but as long as you both still want the relationship to exist (and I’m pretty confident God does), you can work on it.  You can take each day as they come, and commit yourself to taking positive steps forward every day.

I fell into a slump because my routine got broken.  I never meant to stop praying nor reading my Bible, but when my schedule changed, so did my habits.   It's time to develop a new routine.  What will make this time different?  I have to start by doing one daily discipline better than what I did yesterday.  Be more focused today than what I was yesterday.  Pray differently than what I prayed yesterday.  Learn something different than what I learned yesterday.  Resist the temptation to say, “This is just how things are” and instead say, “This is what I want it to be.”

Inevitably this daily internal battle will grow tiresome.  What happens on the days when simply “trying harder” conflicts with the two-dozen other responsibilities I have to try harder doing?  That accountability for continued perseverance and development must come from somewhere.  There must be some support system around you.  Somebody for you to turn to who not only knows your strengths and preferences, but also knows where to place the scaffolding to support your weaknesses.  We are works in progress, there’s no shame in admitting it.  The only shameful thing is pretending you’re already complete.

That’s one reason I love the church we’re going to right now.  The entire staff is open about their flaws.  They’re not scared to admit their imperfections, ask for support, and love equally (regardless or tithe or attendance).  I remember having lunch with the senior minister after a few weeks of attending their church.  He had no idea who I was, my background, or my agenda.  What struck me was his honesty about who he was, not who he wanted me to believe he was.  It was so refreshing to talk with somebody who’s only goal was for me to grow for (in his words) “as long as I was apart of this community.”  I love that!  And if there is a key to unlocking my slump, it is found in investing into this community.

In spite of all of this, I still have hope.  In the midst of my doubts, this slump, or in the days where I wonder why this relationship is so important to begin with; I have hope.  Hope is a rising-to-the-occasion kind of faith.  It is the undergirding to all that I believe, and why I believe it.  We will all have moments where we will be knocked down, pushed around, and devoid answers.  Hope pulls us back up.  Hope offers a plank of wood after the shipwreck.  Hope says, "I'm enough, even if you aren't right now.

I’m guessing if you’ve gotten this far, you’ve nodded your head a few times.  You get the depth and the sometimes overwhelming sense of impossibility that comes with a slump. I’m hoping these words offer some sort of starting point; a place to begin.  Relationships are hard; faith is harder.  But, with the right attitude and support, it not only can get better, it can be better than you could ever ask or imagine.  I’m not there yet, but I know I will be.  Until I do…

Be Honest.  Be Open.

This is the Christian Safe Zone.