You know, we hit our knees when the storms come. And, that’s great! That’s the only way I make it through some storms! We draw closer to God down in the trenches. It’s just part of life. Dave Ramsey says, “I met God on the way up, but I got to know Him on the way down.”

If you cling to God in the hard times, He’ll reveal Himself to you. When you learn to lean on Him, it makes you stronger, and then we get to weather more storms. 😀 But I think sometimes we neglect to remember God when things are all hunky dory. I think sometimes it’s easier to remember God when we need something from Him. When life is goin’ just right you don’t really need someone to lean on…do you?

Do you have people who depend on you in your life? A spouse? Kids? Friends? We call them dependents. They depend on us. For something. Food, shelter, accountability, support, emotional well-being. You name it. The list goes on and on. It can be exhaustive! And exhausting, too.

Do you ever feel like the people you love just nag and nag and take and take until you’re bone dry? Do you ever flop on your bed at night and struggle to even feel the relief of bedtime because you’re so weary from giving and giving and giving to everyone and everything around you? Do you ever just wish for once a kid would come up to you and not need anything? I bet God feels the same way about us sometimes.

Don’t get me wrong. God can shoulder all of our troubles. That’s what He does. He is our rock, our firm foundation. He is our shelter in storms, and He delights when we trust in and lean on Him. We were made to hold fast to the anchor of God in torrential downpours. But He wants to celebrate with us, too. To spend time with us just because. He’s our Heavenly Father. And fathers want to be needed in the good times, too.

Do you ever tell Him about your day just because? Do you gush over things? Let His joy fill your heart and bubble over? He’s excited, too! He rejoices with you! We can’t only pray when the goin’ gets rough. God will forever be our steady hand. He is what grounds us. But He also loves us so deeply that He yearns to have a one-on-one relationship with us. His desire is to be a part of our lives. Everyday. Even in the little things.

God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden. He walked with Enoch everyday until one day He just took Enoch home with Him! His word is chock full of stories that show us how He reaches out to us, how He desires us. God wants us to know Him and He wants to be present and active in our lives. He wants to walk with us, to rejoice in us. We can cry on His strong shoulders and depend on Him to get us through when we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we also need to open ourselves up and share our joys with God, too.

Has your son ever walked up to you, kissed your cheek, and walked away? For no reason at all? Has your daughter ever held your hand and swung it back and forth between you as you walked just because? She wasn’t scared. She wasn’t crossing a street. She just wanted to sit in your lap and lean her head against your shoulder? Has your friend ever texted you just to say “hello” and ask how your day was? Have you ever gotten a letter in the mail that just says “thinking of you”? How did those moments make you feel? I can tell you what they do to me. They make my heart swell up and my lips curve into a smile. Those are the precious moments that make me remember I am loved.

I love being there for my friends. I love giving advice on sticky situations when they ask, or letting them vent when they’re upset. I consider it a privilege and an honor that they come to me seeking comfort and counsel. It’s my goal to be the best friend I can be to them, and that means when they call, I come. But, we’ve all had those friends that only take and never give. Those are the kids of friends that leave you feeling disheartened, abused, and empty inside. We all know it works both ways. My friends are also there for me when I’m down. But I’m talking about even more than that. My closest friends and I, we celebrate each other. 

Let me give you an example. In the last few years, one of my closest friends has gotten married and had her first child, a beautiful little girl. You’d better believe I squealed loud enough to cause concern when she called me and told me her boyfriend had proposed. Then I stood teary-eyed by her side as she walked down the aisle and committed herself to him before God and family. When she held a reveal party and a baby shower, I drove hundreds of miles to nearly squeezed the life out of her. And two days after she brought that little pink bundle home, I was at her doorstep begging to spoil my baby “niece.”

I pray for my bestie when she tells me she’s hunkering down for a hurricane and she calls me when I accidentally leave weird voice messages by pocket dialing her and she thinks I’ve been kidnapped. I’ve shown up at her house three and a half hours away in the middle of the night just because I needed her. And she’s taken me in. I will always be there for her when times are tough, and she’ll always do the same, but ours is a relationship of both sorrows and celebrations. We both want to be in each others lives and make a point to do so in good times and bad. What makes God any different?

I want to be close to God. I want to know Him and grow in Him. Do you?

Part of knowing God and growing closer to Him is prayer. Praying, not just to ask for things or to make it through the storms, but to also show gratitude for the blessings and share the moments when the sun shines, too.

Some days are just going to be tough and those days occupy our thoughts like the storm clouds that hang over us. And I am so thankful to have a God who doesn’t shy away from stormy days. He plants His feet, waves His hands, and says, “Bring it on, baby!” But I don’t want to look up after a season of sunshine and wonder when the last time I talked to my Father was. I want to call on Him daily and share my life with Him just the way I would my best girlfriend, my spouse, or my kids. 

God doesn’t need me to share my life with Him, but boy does He want me to. And He wants you to, too.

Love always,
Coralie