Trouble Seeing God?
It was a big adjustment when I moved to Chicago right out of high school. Among the many changes was the disappointing discovery that it was nearly impossible to see any stars at night.
I had grown up in the country and spent many nights staring at the sky. I would gaze at the Milky Way, locate the Pleiades, point out the Northern Cross, watch Orion on the horizon, and catch sight of a meteorite. I even had the rare opportunity to see Halley’s comet in 1986. In Chicago you were unlikely to see the moon unless it happened to be standing over your street.
WHERE ARE THE STARS?
Why couldn’t I see the stars at night in Chicago? It is called light pollution. There are so many man-made lights in a city that it drowns out the view of the stars.
When you get out of the city and away from the lights, you can see the stars again. In the same way, we can see God clearer when there is not so much polluting our hearts and minds. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
AN INTENTIONAL BREAK
When I was a teen, I filled all the potential quiet space in my life with noise and the visual and emotional stimulation of screens. My heart was not pure. I didn’t realize how much it clouded my view of God until I took an intentional break.
Have you ever struggled with your relationship with God in a similar way? Does He ever seem distant to you? Have you ever been uninspired in prayer or felt that reading the Bible was just a chore? Do you have the tendency to fill your life with noise because you are uneasy with silence?
HOW DO YOU HANDLE QUIET?
We are a generation that is addicted to entertainment, and we don’t know what to do with ourselves when it’s quiet. What are some of the media choices you make that might be distracting you from your relationship with God?
Maybe it’s time to consider switching from primetime to some quiet time. From vegging out to crying out for wisdom. From being taken captive to taking every thought captive. From idol time (oops, I meant idle) to redeeming the time. From the light pollution of the world to the authentic light of Christ.
