Distance Does What to the Heart?

Long distance. Even the phrase itself doesn’t sound appealing. Whether it’s running, dating, or seeing long distance, it’s not easy. We all have parts of our lives that are long distance whether that be tasks, relationships, or goals. This morning in my “BeLoved” devotional, I learned a couple things. It said, “The human heart longs for closeness - with its Maker and its match. When it feels distant, it grows weary. And when it grows weary, it wants to give up.” Maybe you feel very close to God right now and very distant from someone you love. Maybe you feel the opposite. Maybe it’s both. I’m here to remind you that distance requires effort. It requires you writing letters to the one you love so they know you love them. It requires listening to what they have to say even when it’s late at night and you’d rather be sleeping. It requires bettering yourself in spite of a blind eye. And yes, this is good advice for a long distance relationship with a significant other or a best friend. But I’m talking about your distant relationship with God. And my distant relationship with God. We all keep Him at arms length at some point, but I’ve found that the more we reach out and let Him in, the better those other relationships become. Today we celebrate Pentecost when Jesus gave the disciples the Holy Spirit. Thanks to Him, we were given part of the Trinity to remain with us to help with the distance. So when we mend our long distance relationship with God first, everyone benefits from His loving gifts and graces.