Our relationship with God is the most important relationship of all of them. It is more important than the relationship you have with yourself. It is more important than the relationship you have with your spouse. It is more important than the relationship you have with your children or parents and even your friends.
Our relationship with God is the most important of all because, well, He is God, and it impacts all the relationships we have. That one relationship with your Creator significantly impacts every aspect of your life. That said, when you are not in relationship with God, when you do not feel close to God, when you are not in regular conversation and community with God it can feel like there is a void and we may not realize that the void is our need for relationship with the Lord.
Do you ever feel like something is missing and you don’t really know what that something is?
Sometimes life can be going well. You can have the family you always wanted. You can be successful at work. You can have a life filled with vacations and hobbies and maybe you even go to church every Sunday and mark the duty for the week, off the list. And yet there can still seem like there is something not quite right. Something missing, a void.
Sometimes it may just feel like a small something that you can’t put your finger on. Sometimes it can feel like a large hole, an emptiness, a longing for something and you are not sure how to fill it. You may try to fill the hole with work; longer hours, more projects, or learning something new in another area of the company. You may try to fill the hole with non-stop hours of television, social media, or even classes, charity work, or you may think that helping others and giving back will fill the hole and give you some sense of filling the emptiness.
Now, as we all know, there is not a thing wrong with most of the things I mentioned, in moderation, which is why I used those as examples to explain that sometimes we can use good and even very positive things to try and fill the space within us that is meant for God to satisfy.
I believe that when God created us; He placed this innate need within us for relationship with Him. Now, I also believe that God gives us absolute choice with our decisions on how that need is filled. He wants relationship with you but God is a gentleman. He always allows you freewill and choice.
To begin to feel close to God again you have to spend time with Him.
And when I say spend time with God to feel close to Him, I mean to spend time with just you and Him alone. In a quiet place where there are not any distractions or noise. I know with all the things on our plates these days everyone is trying to figure out how to multitask everything but working on your relationship with God is not one of the things that you are going to want to multitask.
You want to be able to direct all of your undivided attention toward talking with God. Just talk to Him like you were talking with a trusted friend that was sitting right beside you. Someone that you are completely safe with. Someone that you can tell anything too, and He will not judge you. He will not think you are weird or stupid. No matter what you say, He will not tell anyone and He will not walk away from you. That is how you want to talk to God. Tell Him all the stuff and all the reasons why you feel however you feel. Even if you don’t feel anything. Tell Him that you don’t feel anything and you want Him to help you feel His love. Feel His presence.
Having that quiet time with God is also a time where you can read His Word. Reading the Bible is a great way to get to know God and become closer to Him. If you are not super experienced with reading the Bible, maybe start with the New Testament; Matthew, Mark, Luke or John is where I would start. Those four Gospels will help you get to know who Jesus is again. Get you reacquainted with the person that loves you more than anyone else ever has or ever will. You can see the relationships that Jesus had with other people when you read these books of the Bible and it will help you to put some perspective around the man that Jesus was. The man that Jesus is. It can help you relate to Him as someone that is not just this Deity that sits on a Throne in Heaven by our Creator but it can help to personalize who Jesus is and therefore who He can also be to you.
Getting close to God again doesn’t always have to look so traditional either.
For a lot of people, they really connect with God when they are walking out in the woods or out in nature fishing or hunting. I think the most important factor that you want to take into consideration when trying to build your relationship with the Lord is that you need to be you. Do not think you have to be like anyone else. Do not think there are certain things you have to say or that you cannot say when you are talking to God. Do not think you have to spend time alone with Him in the same way that someone else does or that you have to be at a certain place or wear a certain thing or look a certain way. Because, that IS the THING with God… He wants you. The real you. The whole you. Just as you are. He just wants you to love Him and spend time with Him. He just wants relationship with you. Set a goal to spend time with God each day. It doesn’t have to be the same each time and maybe it is just a little while one day and longer the next.
Give yourself some grace while you are getting back into the routine of spending time with God. If you are like most everyone, things that need to be done will suddenly start popping up when you make up your mind to carve out time with the Lord. Don’t sweat it. Just do what you have to do and make sure to prioritize your time with God no matter what.
It will be THE best gift that you give to yourself!
Much Love ♥️
Michelle