Abandoned home in Lamar Colorado
In my travels I sometimes come across farm houses that have been abandoned. Usually these farms are located in places that have spectacular views and surroundings. I often wonder about the people who built them. What brought them to this spot? Why did they abandon their home? Was it their life long dream? How long did they live there? Was their life life always fraught with troubles? Was there a time of joy? What brought about their dilemma? Was there anything they could’ve done to keep the home?
These houses were probably dream homes at one time, life long aspirations lost to the ravages of time, deserted, lonely, and given up on.
Is it just me, or, do you too sometimes feel like those homes, unwanted, not needed, abandoned and ravaged by time? Where is God? Where is His comfort?
Before I discovered the answer I faced similar questions: Can anything be done? Why has God forgotten me. What did I do wrong? Can I to change it? Can I ever get over feeling abandoned? Will I become like the Lamar farm house? Dilapidated, bleached and worn out. Sometimes I ached so bad inside that I just didn’t know what to do. I was indecisive, confused, bitter and angry.
Is there a way out?
In my experience I’ve discovered that I made three choices in this regard. The first two were horrible, but the last became the answer to my dilemma.
Before we examine those choices I want to share what I just discovered this morning about the word, ‘comfort.’ The first and most obvious observation is that comfort is a verb, an action word. It’s also a transitive verb.
What does that mean? Good question.
Transitive means that an action is being done or given from a subject to an object. In regard to ‘comfort’ God is the subject providing comfort to the object mankind. Comfort therefore is not a feeling it is something being done. The cause, comfort, can effect an emotionial response, but if the cause effects a negative respone does that mean God isn’t comforting us?
The scripture* tells us, that God the Father, is the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles. Therefore God is continually, actively and always comforting us.
But why am I still not feeling comforted if God is continually comforting me? The evidence of my negative response seems to be pointing at God. Is He comforting me or not? That question genuinely needs an answer.
When we look at the Greek word for comfort it is paraklēsis. The very first definition of the list I find particularly interesting. It means ‘a calling near, summons.’ I’ll explain later why it struck me
Knowing this definition of comfort leads us to the only source of our melee.
Before I go on to explain you must realize that if you’re not totally honest with yourself the answer to your dilemma will forever elude you. Not that it can’t be found, but your own dishonesty will hide it from you and you’ll never benefit one iota from this discussion or a miilion lessons. You absolutely MUST be honest! Getting to a gut level honesty in your heart of hearts is difficult at best and necessary, but not impossible.
Are you ready?
Here’s the gut check.
God is not the reason, that you feel abandoned!
The truth is that you’re not really seeking God. You may think you are, but you’re not. It’s that simple. If you were truly seeking God you would experience comfort. Therefore the litmus test of being comforted reveals our real relationship with God. If you’re feeling abandoned then the litmus test tells you that you’re not really seeking God just as I wasn’t at one time. Which brings us back to the three choices that I made and why my dilemma was my fault.
The first two are easy, but wrong.
- Do nothing.
- Inactivity is exactly what it means. Doing nothing. How can God comfort us if we’re not drawing near? That’s a pretty elementary question. Our lack of comfort isn’t God’s fault, but ours. Doing nothing also only leads us to more bitterness and anguish.
- I’ve tried this method and the result was that I ended up blaming God my second choice.
- Blame God
- Whenever anyone blames God they are actively drawing away from Him. They are in rebellion. Try to imagine or remember when you got hurt as a little child? What did you do? You ran to your mother for comfort. You ran toward and actively sought out comfort. Therefore you were comforted. Did you blame your mother for the pain or injury? Of course not. You sought comfort from your mom. Then why do we blame God? It only leads us away from Him and into more pain.
- Blaming God is deceitful above all else. In this mindset you may believe that your relationship with God is a good one, you’re praying, waiting and wanting something done, but you are really in rebellion and drawing away from God. You’re going against the goad! “Anyone who puts their hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62. That is what happens. You’re not fit! And if you’re not fit, you don’t belong! I never realized that concept until I stopped blaming God and started seeking Him. When I blame God I locked Him out of my life. No wonder I and you felt or feel abandoned.
- Draw near to God.
- I accidentally discovered that drawing near to God brought comfort. Well duh, that should have been a no-brainer, but it wasn’t. Anyway that’s why I found the definition of comfort very interesting because it means to draw near. The bible says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” He desires for us to seek and find Him. The word comfort means to draw near. God is always looking for us to draw near because He is also always seeking us and is the God of all mercy. See Romans 3:23-24. Most of us also know the parable of the Prodigal son. This son wasted his life, left his family, showed contempt for his father by asking for his inheritance in advance and then squandered everything. The father (God) waited eagerly for the sons return and when he did return the father (God) RAN to him and accepted him back 100%. Luke 15:11-32. Seeking God is the answer to being comforted. Seeking God is our purpose. It is the only purpose, just as God’s is always actively seeking us. Acts 17:26-27
- Lately, I’ve been on track in seeking Jesus for about 3 years, I’ve stopped blaming God and have sought Him eagerly. I cannot express how important it is to seek God daily. You can’t get enough Jesus today for tomorrow. If you’re not seeking Him daily then your very life is actually in jeopardy, but thanks be to the God of unlimited patience who patiently waits and endures our rebellion with love and longing, always watching for us to find Him, and when we do He rushes into our life.
- This site is my effort to encourage everyone everywhere to discover the importance of seeking God daily just as I did and do. Everyone is able and can, but it does take effort on your part. Make every effort to enter through the narrow door!
Don’t be or feel abandoned it’s your choice. You can decide to be like the bleach worn out abandoned home above or you can be like a house well maintained by God, similar to the one below.
A house not abandoned in Illinois.
God Bless.
*2 Co 3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
If you found this article helpful and/or that it may be helpful to others please take a moment to share.