I’ve been struggling for a few days with this whole concept of developing a relationship with God and with my friends. And of course, as has been God’s pattern for quite a while in my life, as soon as I raise a question, He brings me the answer, or at least the start of one. This time he hit me over the head twice: yesterday’s post in the Fischtank and a devotional our pastor gave in service on Wednesday night.
I figured out that I’m struggling with the wrong thing—I want to feel closer to God, but that’s not something I can do anything about. I need to know God, and that means knowledge. Yeah, I know, sounds obvious, but of course I tend to miss the obvious when I’m feeling self-pity.
So simple—just get to know God. Get to know what He likes and dislikes, what He cares about, what’s important to Him. It’s about spending time with him, but not just “hanging out with God.” It means focused, dedicated time learning about who God is.
And of course, the other obvious fact I’ve been missing is that God already gave me all the information I need for this—it’s in Scripture. God gave me the Bible so that I could know him and learn about him. Come on, Gerald, you’ve taught this before. You’ve done this class for other people. Get it into your own thick skull for once!
And as usual, all of this applies to my relationships with my friends and my family too. I have to quit sitting here and wishing I’d “feel” closer to them. Like I said the other day, I need to put in the effort—but the effort is in wanting to get to know them. Find out what makes them tick. Ask them about their likes and dislikes, what they care about, what’s important to them.
In other words, do exactly what I’ve been telling my students at school for years. The cliché actually works: if you want to make a friend, be a friend.
Photo Credits: Bible Nerd by jamelah, 2/16/07
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