Religion or Relationship?

If you said I was born into a Christian family, that would be true.

But could you say that I was therefore born a Christian? Absolutely not!

When I was young, I “became a Christian”. Once I was nine or so, and actually understood (mostly) the faith, I renewed my salvation and faith. Now I don’t mean that as in “I believe that you have to re-say the prayer every three years to stay a Christian”, I just hadn’t fully known what being a Christian was. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized it’s not enough to believe just because your family does. You have to seek it out yourself. You can’t simply believe it because “they” do, you must “own” it, in a sense. You must truly be able to say “this is what I know and believe to be true.” You must call your faith your own and really have it belong to you. This is hard to describe, so I hope you get the point. You can’t just believe because you were “born with it”, you have to truly KNOW it and KNOW God as YOUR savior and YOUR BEST FRIEND.

Maybe this is your story too. If so, have you ever really asked yourself in your heart if God is more to you than a dreamy figure that’s up in the clouds? Have you ever REALLY considered it?

It’s not a presentation to God, it’s a conversation.

It’s not always a prayer, but a talk.

God is there for you.

He can be just as real to you as your family you EAT WITH every day!

But you have to let him be.

He’s not an impersonal figure that’s billions of light years away,

He’s a best friend that’s by your side every second of every day of your life!

That is, if you let him…

And I’m not talking about the whole “inviting him into your heart and life to become saved” prayer. (I’m not at all trying to make fun of any of this by putting it this way, I just want to get my point across)

I’m talking about the prayer that says:

“God, I’m here. Right now. And I want you. God, lead my life, take the wheel. My choices are leading me astray, so I want you, God, to decide what’s best for my life. I don’t want you to belong to me- I want to belong to you. I don’t just want you in my heart, I want you pumping through my blood, showing on my face, revealing yourself in my actions. Make my life yours, and make your power my power. Help everyone to know that I am yours… forever. In your name, Amen.”

When you say this, and really mean it, (not exactly those words, please make them your own if you are going to pray this) and bathe yourself daily in God’s word and talk to him ALL DAY LONG….

It makes life so much easier. And so much more fun! And it helps others not to see you as “The judgemental goody-goody that acts like a christian”, but the person who’s identity is wrapped wholly around their faith. Is it hard to get started in reading your bible and praying every day? Come to us (and other bloggers) for encouragement! I promise you’re not alone! You’ll find encouragement here from us! I’m MORE than willing to lend an encouraging voice… and shoot up some prayers for you! I also have troubles sometimes being as close to God as I should be!! I’m not perfect, far from it actually!

When you really search it out, you’ll realize that instead of being a “good influence” on others, or straining yourself to act godly around certain people, you can let it be your personality. It’s not only so much simpler and better for you, but it will help others (even if you don’t always know it) to see you as more of an “authentic” Christian, and less of a fake. What you’re shooting for, is to relax and be yourself, and have fun, and be the same godly person that you are when you’re at church or reading your Bible. I know multiple people like this… they don’t even realize that they’re like that!!! They are SO easy to be around, and is SO obvious that they are a TRUE LOVING CHRISTIAN! Even if you met them at a concert (or somewhere other than Church), you can tell!!! I love that so much in a person!  And those few people (Thanks, G, F, K and C ..and J…) are DEFINITELY people I want to be like! Constantly happy, not judgmental, and have the love of God shining through their being!

Get whatever you’d like out of this post, and don’t let it discourage you in the least! Let it be an encouragement to all of us!!! There will be hard times figuring out what you as a person believe, and what you want to know, but one of the main keys?
BE EXCITED!!! It may sound crazy, but when you think about it, this time in your life- of figuring out your identity, and what you truly believe and how you want to act in your life (also how others see you) – is WONDERFUL! Yes, it can be scary, but really, you’re shaping WHO YOU ARE! You’re shaping this WONDERFUL relationship with God! And maybe you don’t know someone like I was talking about. Maybe you’ve never met someone like that… if not, I want you to check out this youtube channel, and video. This is an AMAZING young lady by the name of Emma Mae Jenkins. I encourage you to watch some of her videos. You’ll love them!

I made this post as much for myself as for you girls. I’ve really been questioning a lot of things lately… and I know for one thing- I want that relationship. That brings me to the title- Religion or Relationship? So why did I call it this? Because I believe as strong Christians who love God, we need to have that bond, that strong love and connection between God and us. And I’m going to show you the definitions of these two words real quick:

Religion: the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.

Relationship: the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected.

So are you just merely believing in God and not letting your faith go any further? Or are you CONNECTED to God? I’m not trying to get on to anybody, as it’s an ongoing trek of dedication to have a connection. But I’m willing to go through that, because I LOVE my God, and I want him to be closer to me than any human in the universe could ever be.

So if I could chose which I want, it would definitely be Relationship. And that IS my choice. Because I believe that when you are connected to God, then it is so much nicer to be firm and steadfast in what you believe, which makes it easier to tell others about your faith.

I’ll end with some verses:

Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Deuteronomy 5:33 – Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and [that it may be] well with you, and [that] ye may prolong [your] days in the land which ye shall possess.

Colossians 2:6 – As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him:

 

I hope you enjoyed this post! Thanks so much for reading!

And remember, if you ever need prayer or encouragement, we’re here!