Apart from you I have no good thing...

One of the first days we were at Hume, I asked my girls "Why did you come to Hume?"

I got a couple different answers, but for many they shared that they always felt close to God at Hume. We went further and they said that they wanted to feel the closeness to God at home as well, but could never quite figure out how to accomplish it once they got down the mountain.

I've definitely felt that way before... you go off to a retreat, a camp, a missions trip and feel God close the entire trip. Then you get home and things change. So I started trying to figure out, what makes being away so different? Why do we feel God's presence in a place like Hume and then struggle to spend time with him at home?

It's pretty simple once you think about it. When we go on these trips, we are taken away from the distractions of everyday life. We're not worried about texting, checking our emails/facebook. We are there to meet with God and for the purpose of worshiping him. But why aren't things always like that at home?

The fact is, those things don't have to be a distraction. We make them a distraction. We fill our lives with stuff, with junk that fills up our days and value things that don't matter in the end. This last week, I purchased a sweatshirt that says "Where you invest your love, you invest your life." I love that phrase. It's a great reminder to examine how we invest our time and our hearts.

When I'm away on a trip, I feel close to God because I invest time into my relationship with him, I want to worship him and experience who he is. When I'm at home, I can do the exact same thing. I just have to work harder to not be distracted by all the other junk. I can't live my days wishing I wasn't at work so that I could go spend time with God. I can spend my entire day with him, praising him and glorifying him through the work that I do and the conversations I have. I want to be intentional. I want to seek after God every single day and invest my heart in him and nothing else.

"I said to the Lord, 'You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'" - Psalm 16:2

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." - Psalm 73:25-28