\u201cIt\u2019s only when the pressure mounts that you see who you really are.\u201d I know this thought well\u2014and I realize how true it often is. I sometimes wonder what I\u2019m really like when things get tough. Our times are fast-paced, loud, and often a bit uncertain. So much is happening at once. We keep going, are constantly available, and have our heads full. On the outside, things seem stable\u2014but on the inside, it doesn\u2019t always look that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the pressure is on, I notice how my thoughts suddenly revolve more around myself. Around security. Around control. Around what I need. And I realize: This is nothing new. It\u2019s somewhere inside me. Even small children think of themselves first\u2014completely automatically. And I\u2019m not so different. Sometimes it drives me forward. Sometimes it just leaves me feeling empty. I then ask myself: Why am I not always the way I\u2019d actually like to be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThe Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.<\/p>\nPsalm 145, 18<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Bible speaks directly to this. Not to make me feel bad, but to be honest. And that\u2019s exactly where something hopeful begins for me: God doesn\u2019t focus first on what isn\u2019t working in my life. He sees me as a person. Just as I am. He isn\u2019t far away. He cares about me. And he has taken a step toward me himself\u2014through Jesus. So that a relationship can be possible again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I realize: It\u2019s easier than I often think. For me, prayer isn\u2019t a religious ritual. It\u2019s simply a conversation. Honest, direct, without fancy words. I don\u2019t have to do anything. I\u2019m just allowed to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And what if God really is closer than you think? What\u2019s holding you back?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIt\u2019s only when the pressure mounts that you see who you really are.\u201d I know this thought well\u2014and I realize how true it often is. I sometimes wonder what I\u2019m really like when things get tough. Our times are fast-paced, loud, and often a bit uncertain. So much is happening at once. We keep going, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":41312,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[511,414],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-de_blog","category-en_blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41311"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41313,"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41311\/revisions\/41313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/godloves.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}