saltandlight

Relationships can be tricky sometimes. Think about some of the relationships in your life. Your relationship with your spouse, your children. Your relationship with your parents if they are still living. You have relationships with coworkers, neighbors, church family, friends, acquaintances…. The list goes on.

What is something that all relationships need? Both parties have to participate for the relationship to be maintained, right? If you never speak to your spouse, it’s not a very good relationship. I realize that some relationships can be toxic and you have to remove yourself from the situation. But the basic need on both sides of a relationship is for both people to communicate with each other. The more communication, the better the relationship. I feel like this is common sense.

So why on earth do we think that we can have a relationship with God without communicating with or spending time with Him? Think about your relationship with God. This is just food for thought, just something for you to chew on. I promise I don’t sit in judgment because my relationship with God hasn’t always been the best either.

Story time! It’s a quick one, I promise. Several years ago, when my son was in high school, he had started driving himself to school. And he was a senior and he was at that age! (If you know, you know!) Anyways, I was dropping off my daughter at the same school because it was on my way to work and I cherished those morning car rides with my children. Anyways, my son was walking into the school as I was pulling off. Surely he saw me! And I was looking his way trying to subtly get his attention to wave to him. That was all I wanted, just to wave at him. Just acknowledge that I’m here. But did he even look my way? Nope. Well my feelings were hurt. I mean, it was such a small thing but I was all up in my feelings after that. So I prayed. I said “Lord, why is he acting this way? All I wanted was to wave to him and he couldn’t even give me that.” And do you know what God said to me? “Now you know how I feel when you treat me that way.” GULP! Oh man! Okay, okay, I get it Lord.

The ONLY reason I even remember this is because of how I felt when I had that conversation with the Lord. Of course my son didn’t mean to be rude to me. He could have been dealing with something else and just didn’t feel like looking my way. He may not have even seen me. The point is that I remind myself often that I never want the Lord to feel that way, when I ignore Him. That is my most important relationship!

Our relationship with God depends on us making the time to spend with Him. We have to make time to pray. We have to make the time to read God’s word! If you don’t do those things, you aren’t in a relationship. He’s not just a sky Daddy that sits up in the sky waiting to answer our prayers. He wants more than that for us!

The thing is that He wants us to spend time with Him for our benefit. It’s not for Him. Do you think He needs us? He’s God! He could make us do His will, but he gives us free will. He gives us the choice. And when we make the right choices, He blesses us. Oh how He loves us so! God is so good! (Go ahead and sing the song, you know you want to!)

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

1 Peter 2:1-3 – So put away all malice and all deceipt and hypocrisy and envy and slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation – If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Revlelation 3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.