Dysfunctional

Ever wonder if your relationship with God is Dysfunctional?

Reading God's word is something that we have been called to from the very beginning. As soon as Moses received the tablets with the ten commandments on them, we had something in writing that God wanted us to carry safely in our hearts.

When something is on your heart, you will think about it constantly. You will ponder it, remember it, and utilize your knowledge and passion about it. In the same way, if we put God's words in our hearts (through reading it and meditating on it), we will quickly find that God uses it in us to give us strength, to help us in situations of uncertainty, and to give us words when we have none. This isn't a formula, and the Bible won't necessarily give you the answer to every decision you need to make, but it will draw you closer to God, which is all you really need.

Likewise, if you are trying to tell someone about the Lord, you may not have the words. But the more time you spend in God's word, the more God will work through you to remind you of that truth you've buried deep down inside of you.

Communing with God in His word also builds your relationship with Him. When I want to draw closer to my husband, I spend more time with him. In the same way, we draw closer to God when we spend more of our time with Him.

I recently read an article off of The Gospel Coalition about how if we neglect our time with God, it's because we don't want to spend time with Him. We may say we are too busy, or come up with some other excuse, but at the heart of it all, if we really, truly wanted to read the Bible, we would.

The author of this article went on to say that if we aren't spending time with our Savior, there's a good chance that it is because our relationship with Him is out of whack. This is definitely true for me. Whether it's because I've sinned, or I am just living in false condemnation and guilt, when I feel like God is angry with me or disappointed in me, I avoid Him and His word. This is the epitome of a dysfunctional relationship. When my husband is upset with me, we talk out our problems. Why? Because that is the healthy thing to do. And it is the same with our God in Heaven!

So, is your relationship with God dysfunction?  According to the article, many of us are. I fall into that category right now. I am terrible for not picking up my Bible. I still love God, I still have prayer time daily, and I still try to live my life for Him, but without His word, a very integral part of the relationship is missing. And over time, it hurts the relationship. This is true for any child of God. This doesn't mean that if you miss a day of reading here-and-there, your relationship with God is messed up; no, this is talking about a constant lifestyle of knowing you should read God's word, but never picking it up, regardless of the reason.

So let's fix that. God is our Father, our Creator, our Savior, and our Redeemer. He loves us, and we are still His, regardless of how long it's been since we dove into His word. But, He calls us deeper; and we need that depth. Let's pick up the word. It's ok if you start with only five minutes. Just start.

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Forgive my dysfunctional relationship with you, God in Heaven. Forgive me and work in my heart so that I want to and do spend time with you, God in Heaven.  And even when I don't want to, help me to take small steps to spend time with you,  and please help me to push forward and trust you rightly and know and trust your real love, mercy, and character, not the ones I've created in my head. Lead me and help me in this, God in Heaven, in Jesus' name, amen.