Maybe you have told yourself you will come back to God when things settle down. When you stop the habit. When you get your thoughts under control. When you become more consistent. When you finally deal with what happened. When you can walk into church without feeling like a hypocrite. For now, you keep your distance. You may still believe in God. You may even miss Him. But somewhere along the way, shame convinced you that you should not come close until you have something bet

Some days, you feel close to God. You prayed that morning. You read your Bible. You were patient with your family, helped someone in need, resisted a temptation, and followed through on what you believed God asked you to do. By the end of the day, you feel spiritually steady. You feel as though you and God are doing well. Then there are other days. You sleep through the time you planned to pray. Your mind wanders when you try to read Scripture. You become frustrated, speak to

You make a mistake, and the questions begin. Is God disappointed in me? Is He pulling away? Is this difficult situation happening because I did something wrong? You may have confessed what happened and asked for forgiveness, yet the uneasiness remains. You pray, but part of you wonders whether God is listening. A door closes, a prayer goes unanswered, or something painful happens, and fear rises within you: Maybe God is angry with me. For many people, that question is deeply