Embrace the Within no. 18

“Christianity is all about relationships with God and with others.”

David Watson

Embrace the Within.

I am to love God and my neighbor. That is the foundation of the walk I am to have if I am to be one of the children of God. This weekend we had a little conversation about complaining about going to church. And I am past the point of arguing and fighting with anyone about doing what they know in their heart, mind, and soul is important and right. I left that decision to weigh the importance of their relationship with God. It’s easy to forget that the reason we are doing any of this is because God took the time to create and plan this existence. And that we should want to have a relationship with God.

Children and even adults that behave selfishly look at the inconvenience placed upon them. And it isn’t just with God. Oftentimes the relationships we have with other image bearers of God are just too much trouble for us to take the time to reach out and call, email, walk across the room, take a drive, spend a day, etc. We have all types of excuses for the inconvenience BUT just like our spiritual relationships, our human relationships are also our choice.

We can continue to make excuses for why we don’t want a relationship or why we want a less than relationship. We could be out there having the best relationships filled with joy, hope, and abundance. That would mean living a lot more unselfishly. That would mean sacrificing a lot more of ourselves and thinking more about God.

And that is where I left the conversation for this week. We make time for what is important in our lives. I have made choices over the past fourteen days because those choices aligned my life with my values. I value being with my family and protecting them despite and in spite of the upheaval and brokenness of the world in which I live. I value saying and showing love to my family by doing things that are not always easy. Some of those things involve sacrificing what I want and what I thought were important BUT were really just excuses for living a less than life. I had to examine where my path was leading and where I wanted my path to go.

There are a lot of distractions out there that look right and just to humans. There is a lot of emphasis on doing what I want and living to make myself feel better. BUT all of that neglects the importance of filling that God-shaped hole in the core of your nephesh. And you can walk around like a donut as much as you like, throwing all manner of things into the God-shaped hole, BUT nothing is going to fill that hole completely BUT God. And nothing is going to make you happy until that hole is filled with God. So stop being a donut and fill your hole!

I get to choose every day how much I talk to God. I get to choose every day how much I care about God. I get to choose every day the quality of that relationship. Just as I get to choose the type of relationship I have with everyone else I contact in any way. What are my choices doing to my relationships? Are they making my relationships better? Or are they just making me feel better?

Peace to your home. Bless your being. The reign of God is now. Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyNepheshMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain #EmbracetheWithin