Fat Day

Have you ever had a day when you just felt fat? You slip on your favorite jeans and they’re a little more snug than usual. You check the mirror and the image staring back at you looks a little thicker through the middle than you remembered. “Oh great”, you say to yourself, “the fat fairy must have paid me a visit last night. She could have at least left some money under my pillow. Or chocolate, maybe.” You decide to survey the damage, and summoning all the courage you have, you timidly step onto the scale. Eyes cringing, you glance down, prepared for the worst. But, much to your surprise, you haven’t gained an ounce. Maybe you’ve even lost a pound or two. Your feelings were misleading; they didn’t match up with the reality of your actual weight.

The same kind of thing happens sometimes when we don’t feel the presence of God in our lives. How is it that we can go from a time of real communion and relationship with Him to a time of distance and separation? Where has God gone during these times?

The reality is, despite our feelings of distance, God hasn’t gone anywhere! He hasn’t changed either. In Malachi 3:6, God tells the Israelites, “I, the Lord, do not change”. Hebrews 13:8, says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” And, in Hebrews 13:5 we are reminded of this promise from God, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.”

Many times, when it feels like God is absent, we’re the ones who have moved away. When I feel distanced from God, I usually don’t have to think about it long before I realize that I’m the one who hasn’t been making time for Him. Other times, I find that it’s my own bad mood that has me feeling far away from Him. During a downward mood swing, I may feel distant from everyone in my life, God included. Once I realize that it’s my own feelings that I’m projecting on God and not the other way around, it doesn’t take too long before our relationship is back on track.