Back to the Basics
Pathik Desai // UGA Student & Kid’s Ministry Intern
I major in Civil Engineering and am very much a math nerd. Writing is not exactly my forte, so please remember that as you read. The goal of this blog is to share some wisdom from what God has taught me in my time following Him. Whether you are just starting as a freshman, finishing up as a senior, or even a grad student, I pray this blog is relevant to you specifically and immensely encouraging!
What is something that we all have in common? Sin. You know what sin causes? Problems. How do you deal with problems? Do you start by yapping about them to close friends? Do you keep them locked away for no one else to know? Are you an open book oversharing to everyone and anyone? No matter what floats your problem boat, one thing we all have in common is that our problems are complicated. They are quite literally NO fun. Even as believers, this world is complicated. It is incredibly fast-paced and vying for every bit of our attention. Not to mention the endless list of the demands of life that pull each of us in every direction. There are so many moments when life gets so hard. Amen?
When life gets hard, it gets harder to follow Jesus. “But why?” might be the question on your mind. Why does it get so hard to follow Jesus when things go wrong and sometimes even when things are going well for a while? I mean, me personally, I have always struggled to find consistency in following Jesus. I figured there was a way to become consistent out there; I just never could crack the code. There were times where everything was going just swimmingly, and obeying God was like breathing through both nostrils after recovering from a cold. What a FEELING! But, there are also times where it feels like that pile of unfolded laundry that gets shoved to one side of your bed that you look at day after day after day after day… There are always ups and downs, and it feels like it gets to a point where you just have to trudge through the downs and enjoy the fun times. C’est la vie. But, this is not the way that God intended for us to live our lives. I know there were times where following God feels like taking one step forward and three steps back. So why don’t we take some more steps back and go back to the basics?
What are the basics? Spending time in God’s word, praying, serving, worshipping, memorizing Scripture, and spending time in community are some basics of leading a life following the Lord. A lot of these practices represent the aspects that we can dread when life gets difficult. So how do we do God’s will when life hits us like a sack of bricks? First, I think we need to understand what the will of God is. Two passages come to mind when I think of God’s will. Micah 6:8 which says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” AMEN! Doesn’t reading that just fire you up? Some of you might be sitting and thinking “No, I’m still getting hit by a sack of bricks”. I apologize. If you’re looking for an easy one-sentence fix buried in all these words, trust me, I’ve been searching for a statement that could make all your problems go poof. However, it doesn’t work like that. Our lives will always be full of these dumb problems because this world is broken, and we are sinners. I do have a plan of action regardless though so that we can do the will of God even when it doesn’t feel like fun. When life gets tough, we have to go to God’s word. Truth is the only thing that can cast out the lies of the enemy. Take Jesus’ time in the wilderness with Satan in Matthew 4 for example. Satan tries to distort the truth and make Jesus crumble just like he does to us. But, Jesus dunks on Satan with divine bars. His use of Scripture to fight the lies of the enemy is inspirational. Let’s look at Job, a man who had a life that was incredible before Satan hit him with a sack of bricks. Here is some advice from a friend of Job’s, Zophar. I know what you’re thinking. Weren’t Job’s friends giving him bad advice? Yes, but Zophar was cooking in this passage, just not for Job. “If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish. You will be secure and will not fear. You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away. And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security.” There is so much hope in this piece of Scripture! This passage outlines preparing your heart. This looks like figuring out what you’re feeling and being honest and vulnerable before the Lord and praying your heart out to God. It talks about asking Him for forgiveness for our sins, and God removing it as far as the east is from the west. It talks about lifting up our faces without blemish and fear but with peace and security. It talks about misery and darkness feeling like the bright noonday. Who can do such a miracle, but God and God alone! Y’all I pray that each of us never forget the God that we serve. I pray that we are constantly reminded of Him and His love for us. God showed me this passage, and I realized that it is exactly what He has been doing in my heart. I can face the difficult times not because I am a Christian and know the right things to do or say, but because my Holy and Awesome God is exactly who He says that He is. I want to leave y’all with this quote I found. I pray that it is true for every single one of you!
“But the thing is, I still choose God. Even when it’s hard, even when it doesn’t make sense, even when it’s taking longer than I ever expected, I still choose Him. All I know is I would rather go through this with Him than without Him.” Amen! I love you all! Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Pathik Desai is a senior at the University of Georgia, who is studying Civil Engineering. He is a third-year intern who serves with the kids ministry. After graduating in May of 2025, he hopes to take part in the Residency Program. He loves spending time in community doing all things awesome!
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