Sometimes, He seems so far away.

Those are the days I have to look around and honestly ask myself: am I seeking? Am I following him? How much do I care? Do I actually understand that I can't make it on my own?

One of the most important things to remember as Christians is that we can't actually do it on our own--but there is the rub. We CANNOT do it on our own. However, with God, we can do it. And that word--do--is so very important.

Christianity isn't just church attendance, or singing, or knowing the truth, or choosing to surround yourself with people who agree. It isn't just sharing the gospel with people. It isn't just raising your hands in worship. All of these things are included, and they are all very much important.

But that's not all Christianity is. It is not a religion that consists of doing works for one's own purposes. My sisters and brothers, we serve a higher calling.

It's all for Him. We are put here, on this earth, for the blink of an eye in comparison to the timeline of the world. We are, as the Psalmist puts it, like the grass of the field, there one day and dead the next. Our good deeds are worth next to nothing. They are the scribbles drawn by a four-year-old in thick red crayon.

But that--THAT is where we see the most importance facet of Christianity. If all we had was the scribbles of a four-year-old to get us into heaven, we would be doomed.

But we are not just any four-year-old. When you become saved, you become the child of a King.

And when you run to that Father, that kind and gracious King, with your scribbles, screaming, "DADDY DADDY I THOUGHT YOU WOULD LIKE THIS", he smiles, and he is proud. He loves the gifts you can bring, even if they are nothing by the world's standards.

Even if they can never be enough to save your soul.

This is the deepest heart of truth--we have been saved, not by an aloof and distant ruler, but by a King who calls himself our Father. He is the father we all so earnestly need. No matter how great our earthly fathers might be, they can never compare. And if your earthly father has failed you...well, I promise God is a better one in every way. He is the best father. He is the reality that all earthly fathers are mere images of.

And God LOVES his children.

He calls us to love him too.

So don't fear him, O his child. Run to him. He loves you.

We are in real relationship with Him, and he will hold us. 

So don't be afraid. Take that step of faith. Raise your hands and lose yourself in his goodness. Worship Him in spirit and truth. Run to Him when you're afraid. Love Him. He is good.

We don't have to be afraid.