Don’t Forget Your Chapstick
Cassandra Lucas
Picture this. You’re rushing out the door on the first day of school. Your backpack is packed. Your outfit is picked out. Your hair finally looks just the way you wanted it. You grab your water bottle, your phone, and head out the door. Everything seems perfect until you’re sitting in math class and suddenly your lips feel dry. Then they start cracking. Before long, it’s all you can think about. You dig through your backpack hoping that just maybe your ChapStick somehow found its way into a hidden pocket. However, you quickly realize that you forgot it. That tiny tube didn’t seem important that morning, but now that is all you can think about.
So, you lick your lips, hoping it will help but instead they get drier. You see, ChapStick isn’t something you apply once and expect to last forever. You have to keep reapplying it. Why? Because life wears it off. Drinking water. Eating lunch. Laughing with your friends. The sun. The wind. The weather. Throughout the day, your lips need another layer of protection.
Our relationship with the Lord can be a lot like that. Sometimes we treat our walk with God like putting on ChapStick once and expecting it to last all week. We go to church on Sunday. We worship, we feel God’s presence and leave encouraged. Then Monday comes. School starts. Homework piles up. Practices, band rehearsals, jobs, clubs, family responsibilities, and hanging out with friends fill our schedules. Before we realize it, it’s been days since we’ve opened our Bible or spent time talking with God. Little by little, our hearts begin to feel spiritually dry. This didn’t happen overnight.
Just like your lips don’t become chapped the moment you walk outside, spiritual dryness usually happens one small choice at a time. One missed prayer becomes two. One day without God’s Word becomes a week. Without even realizing it, we begin living on yesterday’s relationship with God instead of spending time with Him today. But I’m thankful, he is a merciful God who forgives us and invites us back. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”God doesn’t push us away when we’ve drifted. No matter how dry, tired, or distant you feel, He still wants to be close to you.
When you make a habit of applying and reapplying chapstick, your lips begin to heal and the dryness fades. The same thing happens spiritually. As you build the habit of spending time with God each day, your perspective changes. You will start to hear his voice more. The spiritual dryness begins to disappear because you’re staying connected.
Reapply God’s Word
God’s Word feeds our souls and continually points us back to Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.” Just as chapstick restores dry, damaged lips and keeps them healthy, God’s Word corrects us, restores us when we’ve wandered off, and teaches us how to live. Don’t let Sunday be the only day you hear God’s voice. Open your Bible throughout the week. Keep reapplying His Word.
Reapply Prayer
Prayer is how we stay connected to Jesus. When God created Adam and Eve, His desire was to walk with them in close relationship. They walked with him daily in the Garden of Eden. That’s the kind of relationship He still desires with us today. Prayer doesn’t have to be fancy. You don’t need perfect words. Just be real with Him, He knows you better than you know yourself. Talk to Him while you’re getting ready for school. Talk to Him on the bus. Pray between classes. Set aside some undistracted time either in the morning or before you go to bed to pray. Prayer isn’t just something we do at church. It’s an ongoing conversation with the God who loves us.
Make sure there’s some SPF in that Chapstick.
Regular ChapStick moisturizes your lips, but chapstick with SPF gives extra protection before the damage happens. You may not notice the sun’s harmful rays right away, but over time they can leave lasting damage.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Protect your heart. Protect your mind. Before you walk into school each morning, put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day as Ephesians chapter 6 states. Just as ChapStick creates a protective barrier for your lips. You need the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, on your feet the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Putting on the armor of God gives you the power to face temptation, peer pressure, fear, and any difficult situation you encounter.
Don’t Lick Your Lips.
Licking your lips makes it worse, leaving them dryer than before. Sometimes we do the same thing spiritually. Instead of dealing with what’s really going on, we try to cover it up or find quick fixes. We either pretend everything is fine and ignore it or we turn to sinful things. Jesus is your only answer. Others can help guide you to Him, but He will ultimately be the one who can restore you. If you’re struggling in your walk with God, don’t hide it. Your pastor, youth pastor or a spiritual leader can help you if you don’t know what to do.
Every Time You Reach for Your ChapStick…
This school year, I hope your ChapStick becomes more than something you use for dry lips. Let it become a reminder whenever you pull it out of your backpack, to ask yourself if you have spent time in prayer and His word. If the answer is “not yet,” don’t feel discouraged. Take a moment right then. Whisper a prayer. Invite Him to walk with you through the rest of your day.
As you begin this new school year, so many things will compete for your attention: grades, sports, friends, activities, social media, and everything in between. Don’t let them distract you from your walk with God. It’s worth protecting.
So, pack your backpack, grab your phone, fill your water bottle, and don’t forget your ChapStick.