A Relationship.

For the past couple of days I've been thinking about relationships. "Oooo" you might say, or "Jerry's got someone on her mindd" But no, that's not what I'm writing about. What I've been thinking about is the very essence of what a relationship is-what goes into building and keeping a relationship. When I hear the word relationship, I automatically think of words such as commitment, faithfulness, time, love, etc. Commitment- to the person who you're having a relationship with. Faithfulness- to honor the commitment you've made. Time- set apart with them and for them. Love- for them. Basically, a relationship requires you to put in effort on your part- or in other words, a relationship comes with you doing work! A very plain or basic statement about the result of a relationship is that it results in bringing people closer together.

But what happens if one person puts all the effort in while the other just sits back and does nothing? You might say the relationship will go nowhere, you might even bet on the relationship ending pretty soon. But I wonder if this is how I am in my relationship with God. He puts in all the effort, loves me unconditionally, provides for me, cares for me, never forgets about me during the day..etc. while I sit back and enjoy it all, without even taking a moment to thank Him during my day.

The term "relationship with God" has been replaying in my head over and over again-this idea that I should have a strong relationship with God. I'm sure many people, including myself, really want to have a stronger relationship with God. But sometimes I find myself wanting a relationship without having to do any of the work that comes along with the relationship. But many know and can attest to the fact that relationships like that never last. God wants to have a real, strong, lasting relationship with me. He's been putting in the effort all along. How can I ever hope to get closer to him if I don't set apart a time in my day to talk to Him? How can I expect that I will be more faithful to Him without really ever committing to Him? How can I expect to grow closer in a relationship with God without showing the same dedication that He shows to me? If I have any hope of getting closer to God and having a stronger relationship to him, I guess I better be prepared to do my part.

What I mean by working on a relationship with God can be compared to a situation like this:
Jack is a father. He has a son named Billy. No matter what, Jack will always be the father of Billy but the child and the father might not have a relationship with each other. They may not speak during the day, or for months even. But they are still related.

This is kind of like our situation with God. Nothing can stop God from being our heavenly father, but while He is our Father, we may not have a relationship with Him.

God is pursuing a relationship with each and every one of us. He wants us to know Him. He knows us better than we know ourselves.


Psalm 139:1-5 "Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my way. Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me."

Keeping a relationship with God is no different than trying to keep a relationship with a friend. It takes time and effort. But the result is better than anything we can ever hope for in this world.


James 4: 7-8 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you."

Once you're in a relationship with God, nothing can ever separate you from God. You may have to work to get closer to God, but you never have to work to get love from God.


Romans 8: 38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God desires, longs, yearns for a relationship with his children. I know having a strong relationship with Him won't happen in a day. Relationships take work. I pray that this year I'll put in more effort on my part to make this relationship stronger. I know He loves me no matter what, but I don't want to be the one in the relationship who puts no effort in- I want this relationship to work and I guess it's about time I got to work.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).