Shock Points

As mentioned in the  last post, God has been slowly returning to my life. 

Through shock points, He has been jolting me out of my Humanistic lifestyle to return to chasing more fervently after Him. 

In the past couple of months, I have begun, trying to, regularly attend a youth group/church. The youth pastor there, Jesse, always has me leaving thinking about how after all my blaming of God this past year for leaving me, it was never the truth. God was and is always by my side, although He may be silent. 

A few weeks ago, I went for lunch with Jesse. Through this, God spoke through him to give me the initial wake-up "shock point". I had been talking to Jesse about how I felt so void, so empty, like my soul and heart was a dark abyss that I couldn't gain entrance into. I told him how I felt I was living a facade and that God was no longer around. I couldn't feel God! I then went on to describe a situation where God had blessed me, obliviously missing the connection. Jesse simply showed me that, on one hand, I was saying how God wasn't there, I couldn't feel him, yet on the other hand, I still was aware that in some areas He was making my life come together still. 

Amid the broken pieces, God still was there, gluing some back together. 

I found myself dumbstruck. How could I miss the obvious signs?? I was still alive. I was still here. I was still fighting for air, scraping away the walls of my facade. 

Shock points are a strange thing. They were introduced to me a couple of weeks ago. At youth group, we were all presented with a piece of paper explaining shock points and shock boxes. We were then all given a large box to take home with us called our "Shock Box". In them, we put representations of the shock points in our life. Whether its cards, encouragements, or the odd sentimentals we collect from the people we love the most, these things that show us that God is with us go into that box. 

Currently, I'm digging through MY shock box, finding things that truly do represent the good times of shock points in my life. I can find bus passes, airplane tickets, notes from friends, even a bouncy ball. What is in there physically does not matter so much as what it represents. 

As my youth pastor showed me, shock points are moments in time that God brings us back into alignment with Him. 

We all easily forget the things God is doing for us "behind the scenes". He really is bringing us forward, and even sometimes carrying us when we are too weak to walk. 

What shock points have you been missing lately?

I miss a lot of shock points, only to have them arise later. I always feel like they are there, wagging their finger at me kindly, teasingly, saying, "hello silly! We've been here the whole time!"

If only we can turn our eyes away from this temporary world, we can be shown the shock points that God provides. 

I was so lost a few months ago, a few weeks ago, and up to a few days ago. Each day I feel better. Each day, as I read my brother's spiritual journey on His blog, I am inspired. Each day, I feel as though the shock points are helping me. 

And every day, I remember to EMBRACE my Lord. 

I had fallen far, yet He still redeems, He still rescues, He still picks us up and carries us home when we're in trouble. 

God will always be there, holding our hand, no matter how far we are tugging, no matter how invisible His hold seems, He hasn't let us go. He is right there beside us, tugging us gently back, closer to Him, through the shock points in life.