Good Intentions

As a kid, I grew up in an area near an army base. Many of the people that I knew were military and I can remember hearing war-games being played even from miles away. My father was in the military and fought in Vietnam but that was before my time. I never really knew what it was like being in a military family but I had a lot of friends who were intimately acquainted with that life style.

One of the harder parts of having friends whose parents were in the military was the constant revolving door. Many people that I knew would come into our community and then seemingly just as quickly as they arrived, their parents would be stationed somewhere else or sent on a tour of duty. It was always hard to say goodbye to friends. Then came along Ben. Ben and I were inseparable. He was my very best friend and then he was gone. His dad was in the army and got stationed on a base in Germany.

Ben and I swore to each other that we would keep in touch. We decided that we would become pen-pals. I thought that was the coolest thing to send and receive letters from a friend in Germany. He would write me and tell me all about his new school, the town he lived in, and the new friends he was meeting. I would tell him about the adventures that I and our old buddies were getting into. Everyday, I would anxiously wait to see if I would receive a new letter from him in the mail. At first, I was getting them all the time. But, as you can imagine, the letters started slowing down. Then one day, I realized that they had stopped coming altogether. Unfortunately the friend that I had was so distant that we completely lost touch. We had good intentions but it just didn't last. I don't know where Ben is today or how he is doing but I think of him ever so often when reminiscing on childhood memories.

Painful as losing Ben was, I learned an important lesson that I carry with me even today. Communication is key...without it you will grow apart. Being a disciple of Christ is not all that different. Being in communication with the Father is vital to a sustainable relationship. When Christ chose His disciples, He intentionally invested in their lives. He was with them. He communicated with them. He spent time with them.

As a disciple of Christ, I am afforded the same luxury. I get to spend time with God. He communicates with me through His Word and I to Him through prayer. Unfortunately many do not prioritize this withness. To them it is enough to attend church sporadically and clear their conscious with their attendance. God desires a much closer relationship with us than that. He desires to speak into our lives on a daily basis. I would even argue that He desires constant contact with us. He desires to be with us.

One thing is for certain, if staying in touch with God isn't a priority, we will experience distance. But as my wife has asked me on more than one occasion, "Who moved?" It was always me.