God Is Our 'Ride or Die'

Deanna Bartalini discusses how God wants to be with us in our daily lives, no matter the circumstances.

The expression “ride or die” was new to me when my friend said it to me. It was new to her, said to her by her daughter regarding our friendship. She explained it to me, and then I looked up the phrase online. A person who is your “ride or die” is someone who is faithful, loyal, and trustworthy; willing to do anything for someone they love or appreciate; they stand by you and with you. We all need at least one friend who is our ride-or-die. I have also come to realize that God is my ride-or-die.

Faithfulness, loyalty, and trustworthiness are attributes of God. These qualities or traits are those we can rely on in our relationship with Him. He cannot be otherwise; it would be against His nature. And over and over again, God has done amazing things for us. A short, quick list comes to mind: He created us, gave us this world, sent us Jesus for our salvation, gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us, gives us grace, and protects us.

In all of this, why does He do all of this? Out of love. Out of a desire to be present to us, in all ways, always. He is not out there somewhere, waiting for you to come to Him and beg. He is right there next to you in the midst of your life.

Many of us have a favorite person of the Trinity, our go to for prayer and comfort. Each person, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is my ride or die. Sometimes, I need the comfort of the Father’s arms, the healing touch of Jesus, or the wisdom of the Spirit. Overall, though, what I seek is presence, attention, and to be seen.

The last few months have brought some tremendous changes to my family life. And my ride-or-die friend was right there, on the regular, checking in with me. Even if she could not be with me, she always reached out, letting me know she was praying.

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God is right here with you. And He is paying attention, reaching out, and present to you. But He is most likely not sending a text.

Or is He?

That is the challenge in this possibly frenetic life, isn’t it? Do we see God? I believe, as a woman of faith, that God is everywhere. And just as He works in and through me to reach others, He works in and through others to reach me. However, our ability to see Him and the good He gives us is limited. Why limited? We're a bit jaded by the world, rushing through our lives and not always paying attention.

We may also be limiting God’s influence. We put Him in a box. The God box is where He sits, doing God's things, and when we need Him, we go to the box with the list of God's things for Him to take care of in a way we have often already determined. Because we know how things need to be done.

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God is not out there somewhere, waiting for you to come to Him and beg. He is right there next to you in the midst of your life. #CatholicMom

I ought to know better than to put God in a box, and yet sometimes I do. It’s almost laughable, the idea of putting God in a box as if He can be contained. We contain Him by not allowing Him into every part of our lives. The messy, difficult, ugly-crying parts where we take huge breaths trying to get a grip on ourselves, we try to keep Him away. And that is when we miss seeing that our ride or die is right there next to us. Handing us the hanky, holding us until we stop gasping for air, and giving us a glass of water.

God is always reaching out to us. Let Him in. You will not regret it. He is our ride-or-die.

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