MAINTAINING A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Just like our lives overall, our spiritual lives can easily be compared to that of a roller coaster. It seems that when we go to church on Sundays we are at our spiritual high, but by the time Wednesday rolls around we return to a spiritual low.

I’ve noticed that when I am experiencing a spiritual low, my days are harder, my mood is negative, and my self control fails me entirely. Whenever that hits me and I catch myself wallowing in my woes, asking why it’s happening, I fail to see God right there in front of me. Between everything that goes on in a day, unfortunately it’s all too easy to build a wall between ourselves and Him. Like I have far too many times, when things get rough we beg God to do something, to write a message in the clouds, even.

How long will it take for us to realize that He’s been there all along? Hebrews 13:8 reminds us of that very thing, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” He is there while we’re angry with Him, asking why me? He is there while we’re discouraged, pleading with Him to give you a sign. He is there while our heads are above water and we think we don’t need Him. He is there, He is there, He is there.

A few years ago I was on the spiritually low end of things. I was stressed at that point and quite frankly, fed up with how quickly a week could turn sour. The more I thought about it, was the brighter the light bulb turned on in my head. The same thing that sent me into a whirlwind on Thursday happened at the beginning of the week not too long prior, but I handled it differently.

I connected the dots and realized it had to do with my relationship with God. Of course the beginning of the week was better than the end, because I still had the Sunday message fresh on me. That is when I made it an intentional part of my daily schedule to have a quiet time with Him.

I was amazed by how incredibly a fifteen-minute bible study and prayer could transform my morning. And when it transformed my morning, it did the same with the remainder of my day. That definitely did not act as a shield, deflecting me from any stressful situations. They came about just as normally, but my response was what changed–for the better.

I noticed that by maintaining my relationship with God by having quiet time, I was removing a piece of the wall that I built between us. My conversations with coworkers and loved ones glorified Him more, and my actions tried to reflect Christ as must as I could.

Whether you do it in the morning or before bed, we must not forget to read His word and talk to Him. We don’t maintain relationships with our friends by only going to them in times of need–we maintain them daily, regardless of the seas we’re sailing.