During lockdown, understandably, I’ve had a little bit more time to kill than I otherwise would have. For the first month or so I was loving it, it seemed like for the first time in forever I had time to commit to FIFA and Netflix. I had created myself an even bigger distraction, I had turned the free time I had into a pass time that was ultimately completely unproductive. I almost reminded myself of the story of Jonah, I knew what I was being called to do, I knew God wanted me to continue working his cause, but I had completely distracted myself with the idea that I could be somewhere else. In the story of Jonah it took a storm, a moment where everything clicked into place, and living inside a big weird fish thing for everything to come together. Now, fortunately I never nearly drowned, despite how much I tried to swim in my paddling pool in the hot whether. I also never had to live inside a fish which I have no doubt would have smelled awful, but it did take a big moment of realisation for everything to click into place. I had one really bad day, where I could barely motivate myself to get out of bed, and that’s what made me realise how distracted I had been.
Maybe some of you have experienced this, or maybe you haven’t, but my encouragement would still be exactly the same. God has a plan and a storyline that we are a part of, and that’s the most amazing thing, we are all a part of God’s story. In our distraction, or our focus, in our faithfulness or the times we turn away from God, all of that is a part of the story for our lives. And there are people in all stages of that, so how can we be praying?
- For those who are 100% focused on God, that they will be an example to others.
- For those who are distracted, that they will see God and focus on him.
- For those who have turned away from their faith, that God’s plan for them will prevail.
- For people who haven’t yet found the path God has laid out for them, that they will find it.
Sam Crathorne – Intern, Swindon Youth for Christ.