Sometimes it’s hard to understand what exactly it means to be in relationship with God. Quite often I think our actions reflect a mindset different than what we say with our lips. We say Christianity is a relationship, not a religion, and yet we establish our systems, traditions, programs, and rules. It soon becomes easy to check mark a box and say, I’ve gone to church I’m safe for the week. We can even satisfy ourselves thinking we’ve read the Bible a certain amount and completely miss what God may be trying to tell us. What does it mean to be in relationship with God? It does not mean showing up to church. It does not mean doing good things. It does not mean partaking in communion. It doesn’t even mean praying a certain amount or in a certain way. It might not even mean checking off the trophy of having read the Bible cover to cover.
My daughter was excited to find that her favorite cat had delivered a new and small kitten up to the doorstep. Her joy was apparent. As this day of joy went on we received many updates on the status of this new kitten dubbed Mouse for its size and color. The momma cat though, as the day went on, wasn’t seen much, and worry began to grow in my daughters mind. This cat wasn’t always the best at caring for her kittens and this lonesome gray Mouse seemed to be getting hungry. It all came to a head at supper that night. My daughter quietly ate her food, with something obviously on her mind. Suddenly a tear crept into her eye and what followed was more of the same. In her tears she said she didn’t want another kitten to die. Her cat’s disregard for her kitten, this new and helpless life, was heavy on her heart. As her father, my heart was moved. I didn’t necessarily have the same heaviness on my heart for the kitten, but I did feel a burden for what burdened my daughter. In her grief, I felt grief. In her sorrow, I felt sorrow. Her joy brought me joy. This comes from relationship. Relationship with God is reflected in this. He created us, He knows us, He placed the desires we have in our hearts. When our hearts are pure in their intent, God feels for what we feel. When we grieve, He grieves. When sorrow or joy sings its song, it rings in God’s ear. Following God, believing in him, accepting him, having relationship with him is not about checking a list of boxes and then living our lives. It is about experiencing life in his presence. We will experience grief. We will experience joy. We will grow tired. We will find new energy. He wants to walk with us through these things. He wants us to seek to know and understand His character first through His Word, but also directly to our hearts and ears. He wants to renew our strength when we are tired. He wants us to love the things He loves, but also He is moved by the things that move our hearts. He is the best father and wants a relationship with each and every one of us.
Comentários