The Distance

Recently, Ps Ashok wrote about the greatest and shortest distance - from head to heart. 

I've heard him mentioned this often in our Kerteh days. We used to joke that the Word needed to get '1 foot lower'.

Here's an excerpt of what he wrote:

I have seen over the years that both the shortest and greatest distance the Word of God has to travel is the distance from our heads to our hearts. A story that I had heard while in my youth and which I have repeated over the years is one that highlights this very truth. It is called, "One foot lower". It is of a young Christian boy who was found crying while in the woods as he agonized in prayer for his father. When asked, he simply said he was praying for his father, who was a pastor, for the Word of God to travel one foot lower, from his head to his heart. 

It is not sufficient to study the Word of God; it has to enter into our experience.

He wrote this on 16 Feb 2014 at 12.45PM. 

That night itself, we attended a meeting in our church in Kuching. And during worship, it dawned on me that there is another kind of 'distance' in our Christian walk. 

It was 2 songs that we sang during worship that sparked a reflection within my soul.

The 1st song we sang was 'Lord, I Need You' by Matt Maher. This song was followed by 'Draw Me Close' by Michael W Smith. 

The 1st song goes like this: 'Lord I need You, oh I need You. Every hour I need You. My one defence, my righteousness. Oh God, how I need You.'

The 2nd song goes like this - 'You're all I want. You're all I've ever needed. You're all I want. Help me know you are near.'

As I sang those words, I realised that was the journey I have been on.

In the beginning, when I first came to know Christ, and to believe and accept it (as what we all say), looking back now, I realised that it was more a 'need' than anything else. 

I mean, yes, I love my Lord. I worship Him. I adore Him. 

But most of the time, deep down in my soul, the cry from my heart was 'Lord, I need You'. 

Need You to show up. Need You to come through for me. Need You to rescue me. Need You to answer my prayers. Need You to comfort my sorrow and trials. Need You to fix this, resolve that. 

How many can resonate with me? (I hope I'm not the only one in this category.)

However, as I age, as I walk on with my Lord, I noticed a slight change in my heart. Not that I don't need Him anymore. Oh, trust me, I still need my Lord! Don't be mistaken. In fact, it seems to me that, now that I have come (more and more) to the end of my self-sufficiency, my self-dependency and my striving, I need Him even more than ever now. 😅 

Again, it is not that I don't need Him, but I've come to simply wanting Him.

Now, needing the Lord and wanting the Lord - both heart dispositions are essential. 

We all come to Jesus because we need Him. In fact, most of us, if not all, first came to Jesus because we had a need. And there is not a moment in our life, no matter how long we've walked with Him, that we don't need Him. 

We will never stop needing Him in our life. Full stop. 

Yet, that being said, I find myself reflecting on this journey I've been on.

The distance I've traveled, from 'I need You, Jesus' to 'I want You, Jesus.' 

A distance that isn't as short as I'd liked it to be, yet am thankful that it isn't toooo long.

To be exact, 20 years.



From the day I said the sinners prayer in 2004, I was to embark on an adventure with my Lord. 

I hadn't known it at the time, and for most part of the journey (especially the early years), it seem to have gone by so fast. And I had often felt lost and troubled. 

The process of walking through those days, walking in that distance wasn't pleasant the entire time. It wasn't a bed of roses. You know the saying, mountain high and valley low? I had mountains, for sure, but there were even more valleys than mountains. 

Looking back now, I know I took a few unnecessary paths and turns. And some valleys were, unfortunately, made bigger of my own doing. 😂 

What's worse, there were desert days too. (In the valley, sometimes you get a stream of water flowing through it. But when you walk into a desert, oh boy...)

To be honest, I wish I had never enter into those valley low and desert moments. I wish the distance that I had traveled from 'I need Jesus' to 'I want Jesus' had been a more pleasant adventure. A journey filled with mountains and plains and pastures. Who doesn't want that? 

Every time I came out of a valley or desert, I would have this conversation with my Lord - 'Lord, I wish I had been quicker to xxxxx or Lord, I wish it had been xxxx.'

But every time, I felt my Jesus reassuring me that the distance that I have traveled - not 1 step nor 1 moment of it is wasted. In Him, there is beauty for ashes (Isa 61:3). 

I really couldn't have gotten to where I am now without the journey I've traveled.

I wouldn't be the Irene that I am now, without walking through the roads (valleys and all) that I've walked. (Although I can tell you, walking in them was painful at worst, and unpleasant at the least. But praise be to God, His plan and purpose always has the final say.)

For me, the distance from 'I need Jesus' to 'I want Jesus' is 20 years.

How about you, beloved in Christ?

Where are you on this journey? I dare say, dear ones, your distance doesn't need to be as long as mine.

Set out on that journey, no matter where your starting point is, no matter where you are now. 

The destination is a most fulfilled, glorious and rewarding one.

Intimacy with Christ awaits you and me. 

Source: Internet