Pharaoh looking back at me

I've been reading thru Exodus and am struck by how much I and we are like Pharaoh.  How many times have we made bargains with God that if He'd only do a certain thing then we would do something in exchange, like worship Him more, pray more, help our fellow man more, etc.  Then when He comes lives up to His end of the bargain...we don't.

Plain and simple, we don't.  Our failure to live up or follow thru can be because we harden our hearts (like Pharaoh did) or we get distracted by life or we just honestly don't know how.  For whatever reason, we don't follow thru.

Now don't get me wrong, we can never really bargain with God.  He is the Creator of all things.  He is the King of Kings.  He is the Lord of Lords.  He isn't one to be bargained with.  He does hear our hearts cry.  He does want us to grow and learn and become stronger in Him.  He loves us.  He wants to give us the desires of our heart but more than anything He wants relationship with us.

Why is it that often times it takes a few slaps up side the head (or in Pharaohs case, 10 plagues) to get our attention?  Why is it that we don't give the Lord the attention that He is due?  Why is it that we aren't constantly falling on our faces, worshiping Him and seeking His face?  Could be that, again like Pharaoh, we are human.  We get distracted.  We make other choices.  We have our own priorities. 

The cool thing is God never goes any where.  He is always there waiting for us to cry out to Him....to come back to Him....to search for Him....to talk to Him...to love Him.  We need to stop looking in the mirror and seeing Pharaoh looking back at us but rather see someone who has a heart longing for God and actively seeking Him.  We need to see the face of someone who doesn't get distracted by the busyness, trials, fun, worry, joys and sorrows of life but rather someone who in and thru all things seeks God's face and listens for His voice. 

We need to work at learning to listen to God the first time around or the second or maybe even the third but personally...I don't want it to take 10 plagues to knock the Pharaoh out of me 

"Get back on the horse..."

or what about "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or maybe "Try, try and try again"....well, that's where I find myself.  At a point where I need to get back on the horse...pull myself up and try again.

I let life get in the way of my goal.  I let myself get distracted by work, failing eyesight, traveling and just the busyness of life.  I got off the road that was set before me and now it's time to get my map out again, figure out my course and get moving!

There are things that I need to learn and the only way I can is to do the work and read God's Word.  There are things in my heart that need to change and that can only happen when I seek after God and His heart.  There are things that God is waiting to show me and the only way I can see them is to look in His direction.

Soooooo....new year....new day....new start!  May my resolve be stronger.  My perseverance more true.  And my determination more steadfast.

I'm getting back on the horse....