Relationship

In the 1970's there was a group called Three Dog Night. Well tonight may be a three blog night. The first has to do with my grandson, Jayden. He was with us this weekend as his parents were out of town. Right now he is in a bit of an insecure stage with separation anxiety. It is not unusual and will pass but for those who are not in his safety net is can be frustrating. He will not allow me to hold him and sometimes even cries when I come into the room. Now nobody loves Jayden any more than I do (well maybe his parents and grandmothers) and it is my heart to just take him up in my arms and hug him and love on him. I want to lavish him with gifts. I want nothing but his good and his joy and happiness.

Then it dawned on me that that is exactly how God feels about us. How He wants to take us up in His mighty arms and love us and lavish us with gifts. But how often we shy away from Him and look on Him with fear rather than love and push away from Him rather than run toward Him. We treat Him as a thing and not a person to have a relationship with. So what does that mean for us? How can we respond to that and redirect our energies toward relationship.?

First we need to have a new understanding of who God is - that He is good and desires our highest good. He is not a celestial policeman. When we can understand that deeply in our soul, we will rush toward Him with our praise, thanksgiving and our hurts. Secondly we need to allow God to love us. How do we do that? One way is to rest and wait in His presense. Another is to open ourselves up and allow His people to minister to us. Still another is to allow Him to misister to us through His Word. Thirdly we need to able to receive from God His gifts. How little we receive because we do not ask or when we do, we ask with wrong motives or for selfish interests.

So I encourage you to examine your life and see how you view God, are you allowing Him to love you and are you receiving His gifts. May you experience His love in a new and rereshing way.