HEY MIKE! I come from a Christian home, but I don't have a close relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, I'm finding it very, very hard to open up to Him and to pray — yet I feel a strong need to get things right spiritually. Do you have any suggestions?
— Name Withheld
You may not realize it, but you could be on the verge of some incredible new stage of spiritual growth in your life.
Sometimes the only way God can bless us is by breaking us. It's not easy, and it's not fun. We feel alone, wrestling and questioning, feeling empty and phony — not aware that we might, in fact, be very close to an encounter with God.
You see, that's often how God gets our attention. When everything's going great, we sometimes don't hear God very well. Yet when if feels as if we're wandering through a spiritual desert, He has our undivided attention. C.S. Lewis put it this way: "God whispers in our pleasure, but He shouts in our pain."
Here are a few suggestions while you are wrestling and struggling:
1. Don't let yourself get isolated from other Christians. Make sure you are hanging with some folks who love Jesus and who care enough about you to share your journey.
2. Remember that faith is not something we base on feelings. Our faith is based on the bedrock fact that God came to earth in Jesus, died for our sins, rose again from the dead, and even today reigns as Lord over all. Nothing can change these facts. Not feelings, not indigestion, not cloudy days, not lousy days in school, not an argument with your parents.
3. Understand an important fact. A friend once said, "Dead things don't struggle!" He's right. Struggle is actually a sign of life! One last thing. I suggest you head here to read Susie Shellenberger's story, "Bought, Branded, Bonded." Susie gives some awesome insights on how to rev up and deepen your faith. 
