I feel so distant from God, How can I get closer to Him? ~ Aidyn, age 13

This week I was able to counsel at a local bible camp. I had each of my campers write down a question and this is what one of them wrote. I am so proud of her for admitting this. Admitting you are distant from God and things are not as they should be is not easy, but recognizing the problem is the first step to solving it. Sometimes we all feel far away from God. When you first accept God or maybe after a really spiritual event in your life; you feel so close. But soon you forget about that experience and go back to normal life. Well I have some news for you. GOD IS NOT AN EXPERIENCE! God is a person. God is someone, not something. God is not a feeling. Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" The first thing we have to realize if we want to grow closer with God is 1) What we feel is not always accurate. What? What about following our hearts? Well you are welcome to do that but it is going to be a crazy roller coaster ride. For those of you who still don't believe me let me put it this way. You are going to cross the street. It's a major highway actually. And you look both ways and don't see any cars. You don't feel like there are any cars coming. But that doesn't change the fact that there is a drunk man speeding towards you just out of your sight. Or on a happier note, You are in a burning building. (lol that sounds funny)You feel like you are all alone. You feel like you are going to die. But that doesn't change the fact that a firefighter is outside your door coming for you. So while our feelings are REALLY good things (God made them after all) they can sometimes lie to us. This is why sometimes we feel distant from God. We are still in His hands, but when we ignore someone our feelings lie to us and tell us that He is too far away to reach. I want to let you guys know that God is NEVER out of your reach and there are ways to feel closer and grow in a deeper relationship with God. OK. Now on to the actual question. (WOW I am long winded.) How can we have a deeper relationship with God. Well thankfully God doesn't make it that hard. It's a really simple process, but not so simple to put into action. James 4:8 actually promises us, "Come close to God, and God will come close to you". If we try, God will come near to us. God created us in His image. Which means that our relationship with Him is the example for our relationship with people we love. Alot of the ways we grow closer to Jesus are the same ways we grow closer with people. 1. You need to decide you want to be an active part of this relationship. You can't be your friend's best friend if you never talk to them and only see them maybe once a week. The same is true with God. You have to decide if He is someone you want to be with. And that comes from learning more about Him. When you first meet someone you are not immediately best friends. You have to learn more about them before you decide if you want to really be friends with them. The same is true with God. 2. Talk with God. Talk with Him just like you would talk to a close friend. No secrets. Pour out your heart. If you are angry, tell Him. If you are happy, tell Him. If you notice a cute flower just thank Him. If you can't seem to get used to this idea, think of God like a contact on your cell phone. When you see something cool or think of something fun you text your best friend. You have inside jokes and she is always the first person you want to tell. Think like that with God. When you see something talk to Him first. You don't even need a phone for it. You can write your prayers, just Keep an open relationship with Him and keep talking. 3. Listen. There are so many different ways that God speaks to us in this day and age. We just need to listen. But it is important to judge everything we think God is saying and test it against His word. The Bible. God has written all we need to know in there. You can listen to it on tape, you can read it. However you get God's word in you. That is how God will mainly speak back to you. Sometimes a worship song, dream, message, or something you see will speak to you as well which is a beautiful thing just as long as it lines up with the word of God. God is talking to you, all you have to do is listen. As you take steps to get to know God you'll learn what He has planned for your life. Serving is something we can do that when you do it out of a relationship with God, can bring you closer. But it all comes down to loving God. And letting Him love you.