It’s hard work to maintain a relationship with anyone. And it’s not any easier to maintain a relationship with God. Fortunately there are a few things you can do to keep that relationship healthy. A few weeks ago I talked about the ups and downs of faith. In that post I mentioned some of the questions I ask myself when I’m feeling distant from God. (Am I working on being connected to God? Am I still praying? Do I read my Bible regularly? Am I writing down my thoughts as I pray or read? Am I following through on what I sense God is telling me?)
All of those are important questions, but today I want to take a closer look at some specific actions I take to develop that relationship. Namely, whether I’m writing down my thoughts as I pray or read. I’ve found keeping a book filled with random thoughts and notes has been really helpful. Sometimes those initial thoughts turn into a more fully developed post on R3. Other times what I wrote influenced my own behaviors or thoughts. But my favorite moments are when I asked God to do something - and he did!
There’s something powerful about writing down a prayer, and seeing (in black and white) that it came true. This is especially true when you’re feeling distant from God. It’s all too easy to convince ourselves that God has somehow not lived up to his end of the bargain. Or to forget all those times God miraculously came to our rescue. We tend to ignore the good things he’s done, and focus on the bad things in our lives.
Not everything I write down is useful, or even relevant. Some of the stuff doesn’t make any sense. And I have to wonder what I was thinking. But that’s not really the point. My goal is to have a way that God and I can communicate. Not to have a perfectly written paper! I figure, if God is telling me something important, it’s probably a good idea to write it down. Even if that means sometimes I just write down my own cluttered thoughts.
Faith is about maintaining a relationship with God, that keeps you focused and centered on Kingdom goals. You can’t do that if you’re not willing to carry on a conversation with God. Plus, in my experience, it’s never God who leaves the conversation.
Keeping track of my thoughts just makes sure I remember all the awesome things God does for me on a daily basis.
