I took this snapshot from a page of my weekly Bible study entitled When You Pray. The words "from a distance" resonated with me.
Distance is an easier place for me to stay, but staying there is not God’s best for me.
Choosing not to distance myself from others is a very real struggle to live out. And that is because at a very young age, I learned to survive the harshness of this world by isolating myself.
As an adult, my tendency is to do the same. However, for the last two decades, I’ve known that the Lord didn’t want me to cope like that anymore. He doesn’t want me to isolate.
I still struggle to overcome my isolation tendencies when stressful interactions happen. I still fall short and am very aware of my preference to stay away from people who are intentionally ugly with their words or their actions.
Yet, I choose to forgive them since the Bible instructs me to forgive. I do so because the Lord has forgiven me for any ugly words or rude actions I have shown to others, even in jest.
I’m still a work in progress when it comes to not isolating myself from others nor avoiding a loved one when things get hard. It's a worthy pursuit to try my best to reconcile and restore relationships when possible.
In a nutshell, I am to love God, love others, and show them God's love until the day He takes me home.
