Slow Fade

It was my gallbladder post the other day that got me thinking about this. That and reading the Bible. Weird combination to provoke a comparison, I know. But bear with me and hopefully you will see what I'm sayin'...

The thought I had was about being a 'slow fade.' There are so many things that come about because of slowly fading away or apart from someone or something. Like my gallbladder, it didn't just all the sudden stop functioning properly one day. What about the transmission in your car going out? Or two people who fall out of love?...no these things occur slowly. It's not a situation where you just wake up one day and BAM! there goes the ole appendix. No, it slowly became diseased. And that couple who fall out of love, there were the things like the break-down of communication or the spending less and less time together, or the loss of trust. All those things combined lead up to the break-up. For each and any situation, there were most likely signs along the way. But did you notice? Or did you just attribute it to indigestion or a random stomach ache every now and again? Or as just being what happens when you're both so busy?

So it is with our spirituality...it is a slow fade when we wander away from the fold of God. It's not like we just wake up one day and declare that we no longer believe or that we no longer feel the need to keep His commandments. No, there was a slow fade. And we very well might not have noticed it as it was first going on. It was the not reading the Scriptures everyday. And that lead to not praying every day. Which then lead to infrequent Church attendance. Which lead to______. You get my point.

I believe this is one of the adversary's best tools...'slowly lulling us away.' Away from our commitments, our convictions, our covenants, and ultimately our Father.

I am thankful for reality checks. Kind of like a gallbladder attack, they can be quite painful, but it is a way, to get your attention that something is wrong. So I know it sounds crazy, but I am thankful for things like guilt. Why? Because it brings me to awareness. It calls me to action. And most importantly, it lets me know that I am not 'past feeling.' It lets me know I am still connected to Him and He sends me warning signs to prevent that separation.

I will be honest and say, I have felt this force in my life before. It is scary. It is scary on the day we wake up and realize how far we have strayed. But so thankfully, there is ALWAYS a way back.

Watch out for those warning signs in your life, whether they be spiritual or emotional or physical. Look, listen, and heed...