trbccoffeebreak

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 (ESV)

Who doesn’t love a weekend getaway? The end of a crazy work week welcomes the release of chores and normal routines in exchange for a road trip. And that’s exactly what we did last weekend. Having a change of scenery, splurging on trip food and visiting friends is exactly what we need to recharge our souls. Only problem is – it’s just a weekend trip. The clock ticks fast and before we know it we are headed home. As soon as I opened the door to our house, I was reminded there was a lot I needed to do before Monday morning.

Keeping it real here but starting my week trying to cram and catch up on my weekend list never serves me well. My whole week has felt “off.”  Attempting to recover from just a few days away from home landed me scrambling to stay on top of my schedule. And to add to the list our air conditioning went out Monday as the last days of Summer roared in the upper 80s. Counting down the days until Friday so I can regroup and recoup my “off.” Interesting how being “off” has affected my entire week.

Ever felt “off” not because of a weekend getaway but because of a prolonged getaway from God? Yes, we’ve all probably landed there – moments when we simply excused away our relationship with Him. Busy schedules, disappointments, frustrations, distractions, false truths, unconfessed sin, doubts, bored with our routine – an endless list of ways we get “off” track. Reality is, sometimes we don’t even notice we are out of sync with God until desperation sends us to our knees.

Sweet friends even a slight sense of being “off” in our relationship with God is a wake-up call we should never ignore. It’s those little compromises that land us further away from Him than we ever imagined.

What does “off” look like:

• Lack of hunger/passion for God’s word
• No desire to share the gospel
• Zeroed in on our will vs. God’s will
• Ignoring self-examination
• Fellowship with other believers is not important
• Communing with God in prayer is no longer a priority
• Settling for the old us vs welcoming God’s transformation

I think we all get the picture….having a heart not centered on the things of God throws us off balance. We easily find ourselves reacting, speaking and thinking in ways that don’t glorify God. And the longer we do life in this mode, the more we miss out on God’s best.

Love the way our God beckons and draws us back into an intimate personal relationship with Him. No matter where we land now, God’s desire is for us to get back on track and enjoy truth satisfaction and joy found only in Him. So if we find ourselves a little “off” right now let’s re-align our hearts with His and reap the blessings of walking daily in His footsteps. It’s a decision we will never regret.

“Father, thank You for welcoming us back with open arms – thank You for your amazing grace that covers all our “off” moments as You patiently wait for our return.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life