Relationship Freedom
(Disclaimer: You all know that I want to be married one day when I find that guy who loves Jesus A LOT! Just using the illustration to make a point!)I have this friend I used to work with who loved to ask me first thing Monday morning if I had a date at some point over the weekend…my response was usually ‘No…How many fights did you have with your wife this weekend?’ The reason he always asked this question is because he had been married for over a year and loves it! He wants me to have the same joy he has. I would then remind him of some of the privileges of being single…no spouse to anger or irritate me, no asking permission to do something or to go somewhere. Though I want to be married someday I am honest enough to recognize the benefits of not having that serious relationship to limit my freedoms!
Isn’t a relationship with Christ the same way? The most challenging relationship I will ever be part of is my one with God. Being a Christian is freaking hard work! You constantly have to work at it…the more involved I become in the relationship the more work it requires. I can chose to delve deeper in that relationship or I can avoid it for fear that it will limit my freedoms. But does it really? Does being a Christian limit my freedoms? According to scripture it does the opposite…grace and faith increase our freedoms. But it is a freedom fraught with responsibility…responsibility that is scary and so hard to understand.
Christianity requires you to get up close and personal with God. But can you ever get too personal with God? Too intimate? Too in your life? Have I ever used my fears of opening up as an excuse to not get close to God? As a Christian is easy to hide behind tasks and goals instead being part of a relationship. We like to be able to check Him off our list. But when we get in a serious relationship with God, He is all in. He wants to examine every aspect of our lives. When you are in a relationship with Him, it is personal and intimate….but that also means it will be challenging, exhausting, stressful, scary, and complicated. It can also be fulfilling, comforting, exciting and perfect. I am willing to get personal with God… it is worth the responsible freedom…
posted by deanna @ 10:08 PM
1 Comments:
Great illustration and very well said, Deanna. You are almost smarter than a 5th grader.
Nathan
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