Never Give Up

Have you ever had a friendship where you contact the other WAY more than they contact you?

Or a relationship where you feel as though you're putting all the work into it, and getting nothing in return?

I feel like this a lot.

I think everyone has experienced this in some way, shape, or form.

A parent who gives everything to their children only to be ignored when they try to talk to their kids.
A friend who stops texting someone just to see if their friend will contact them first.
A child who wonders if their sibling will ever initiate a conversation.

It's heartbreaking, isn't it?

I know in my situation, it makes me want to cry every time I think about all the effort I put into trying to talk to this person, only to have NONE of my efforts reciprocated.

It doesn't ever change how much you love that person, though. For some crazy reason, we will still keep contacting them, with the hope that one of these days our efforts will pay off and we will finally get the attention of the one person we want to talk to the most.

Looking at my relationships with the people I love helps me understand God's relationship with His children. And how sad He must get when we don't talk to Him, or even acknowledge that He's there.

Here are some instances in scripture where God is forgotten by his children:

Jeremiah 2:32
32 Does a maiden forget her jewelry,
a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgotten me,
days without number.

Jeremiah 18:15
15 Yet my people have forgotten me;
they burn incense to worthless idols,
which made them stumble in their ways
and in the ancient paths.
They made them walk in bypaths
and on roads not built up.

And here is a verse where God is crying out for His children to return to Him:

Jeremiah 4:1-2
1 "If you will return, O Israel,
return to me,"
declares the LORD.
"If you put your detestable idols out of my sight
and no longer go astray,

2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear, 'As surely as the LORD lives,'
then the nations will be blessed by him
and in him they will glory."

God is BEGGING that His people return to Him...and promises that He will bless his children if they return to Him.

See? Our Heavenly Father wants so badly to have a relationship with us. He wants us to remember Him, to WANT to talk to Him, to realize how deeply He loves us and wants the best for us.

Sometimes we want to give up on our friends or people in our lives who don't seem to contact us as often as we contact them...but just remember, God never gives up on us, so why should we give up on people?

Until next time,

ST