Y’all know most of my blog posts on health focus on physical health. I’ve written blogs on using natural solutions, like essential oils, for health. I’ve written blogs on exercise. And still others on being active as a family. This week I am going in a slightly different direction. Instead of physical health, we are going to be talking about spiritual health.
The world seems to be totally upside down right now. Literally, up is down and down is up. It feels like the twilight zone. If I didn’t have a relationship with our creator, I would probably be going out of my mind right about now. I thank God every day that He chose me to be part of His family.
Maybe I should start at the beginning.
My Story
I was raised in church; active in the Children’s choir and middle school youth group and an officer in FCA in high school. If I spent the night with a friend on a Saturday night it was under the condition that I would be picked up in the morning to go to church. My first job was a lifeguard and my parents were supportive but only if I told the manager that I could not be scheduled to work Sunday. You get the picture…
In college, I left all of that behind and was more concerned with finding the best party, meeting boys or going out to dance all night at a club. For nearly the next twenty years, I made questionable choices, lived a “rock-n-roll” lifestyle, attended church only if my family was going for a holiday or baptism and I did not crack open a Bible. I may have prayed on occasion but when I did, it was only when I needed or wanted something. Or if I drank too much and woke up hungover and tried to bargain with God. “I swear I won’t do ‘this’ again if you just make the room stop spinning…” Then that very night, I’d be out doing it again. And so it went for years…
Then, in my mid-30’s, after a series of changes in my life, I started spending more time at home. My husband and I were engaged but not yet married. I don’t remember how it happened but I stumbled upon a Bible Study called Bad Girls of the Bible. It spoke to me. I felt like a bad girl who did not deserve the forgiveness of Jesus. I felt completely unworthy. I devoured all 3 books in the series. While it helped me feel less like a sinner undeserving of God’s grace, it did not propel me to church or to take any further action in my faith walk.
Fast forward a couple of years and I found out I was pregnant with my first child. That sweet baby growing inside of me changed my life. God used her to bring me back to Him. I will never forget looking at my husband and telling him that our child would be raised in church. (Luckily, he agreed. Lol. We both have a very similar story by the way…) We started attending church when our daughter was about 7 months old. Three months later I joined a Tuesday morning Bible Study. That was 9 years ago. And my Tuesdays are still set aside for God.
Since then I have grown tremendously in my relationship with the Lord. I crave the Word and time with Him. I love listening to Christian music. I pray off and on all day and night. I live it. It is who I am.
So how did I go from someone living a life of unrepentant sin to a sinner saved by grace and walking the walk? While everyone’s story is their own, this was my path and maybe God can use my story to help you.
HOW TO GROW YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TRINITY (Father/Son/Holy Spirit)
You do not need to do all of these things. I am just sharing all of the different things that I have done over the past 12 years, when the Father reigned me in, bringing me back where I belonged. All of the following have been used in different seasons of my journey.
- Attend a Bible Study
I joined a Bible Study in September of 2014. There were ladies of all ages, from 20’s to 80’s. I learned so much from this group of women. I had mentors and women who spoke scripture over me. God really used this to propel me in my faith walk. Unfortunately, that particular Bible Study group ended with Covid. In 2021, I was blessed to find a new Tuesday morning group to join.
I dedicated my Tuesday mornings to God in 2015 and he is faithful to provide, despite a pandemic. I can’t stress enough how pivotal joining a corporate study has been for me in my transformation.
- Read the Word
The only way to develop an intimate relationship with God is to read His Word or listen to it on platforms like BibleGateway. This is the foundation of the relationship. The Word of God is everything. It teaches us about relationships, finances, love, anger, redemption etc. And if you are a soap opera fan, start reading Genesis today! You won’t be able to put it down.
- Read a daily devotional
When I am not in an organized Bible Study with weekly homework, I like to do a daily devotional. Most come with a passage and at least 1 scripture verse. I read the devotional and the verse and then I go to the Bible and read the entire chapter that the verse came from. For instance, if the verse is John 1:5, I will read the entire chapter of John 1.
- Do a home Bible study
As I mentioned above, before I started going to church, I did a home Bible Study by myself. While I can’t recommend corporate study enough, sometimes that just isn’t possible. The Chosen has some wonderful video based studies. Lifeway is an excellent resource for Bible Studies that you can search by topic.
- Pray in the car
If you feel like life is too busy to pray, a great way to fit it in is to pray in the car. Pray on the way to work or on the way to take the kids to school. Once you get used to setting aside time to pray in the car, you will find it much easier to pray throughout the day.
- Sing in the Shower
I got one of those small waterproof speakers for the beach and discovered it works great in the shower! Play some KLove or The Message and praise the Lord while you wash your hair. So many Christian songs are based off Bible verses; so while you are singing and praising the Lord, you are also learning Bible verses.
- Do a family Bible Study
I have been doing a bedtime devotional with my kids off and on for years but doing a Bible Study with them did not occur to me. My kids go to a Christian summer camp and they offer a discount for families who complete a monthly family Bible Study. That is when we started doing one as a family. It’s been wonderful in getting the kids involved in reading scripture.
- Sit quietly with the Lord
I have not done this nearly enough lately but when I used to do it, it was powerful. Just sit quietly and ask the Lord to speak to you. Here is an example of what I experienced when I took the time to sit in silence with the Lord.
A couple of years ago I was keeping a gratitude journal. Every morning I would pray and then sit and ask God what he wanted me to do that day. One morning, I felt in my spirit that I should give my neighbor a note and a gift card. This is a neighbor that is not well liked in the neighborhood and that we have had trouble with. I can assure you the desire to bless her did not come from me. But I was obedient and wrote her a note and gave her a small gift card. Since then, she has been much more pleasant to live next to. I did not do it to butter her up, but because I was obedient, I believe God helped provide peace to our relationship.
- Memorize scripture
There is nothing better than having scripture written on your heart. I still remember verses that I learned at summer camp in 1987. Keep it simple. Pick a monthly Bible verse and write it on a notecard. Tape it to your bathroom mirror. Carry it in your purse. Put it on the dash of your car. Put it on your refrigerator. Read it whenever you see it. Over the course of the month, just by reading the verse, you will find that you have it memorized.
- Attend Church
Honestly, the only way to really nurture your relationship with God is to be part of a church family. I used to be someone who didn’t believe that. I thought I could do alright on my own. I was wrong. That was an immature view held by an infant in her faith walk. As a more mature believer, I can assure you that connecting to a church family is like plugging in a lamp and flipping the switch. You can’t function properly in your role as a follower of Christ without the church body.
As I said before, everyone’s journey is different. Some people are born into it and remain there (like my sister), others are born into it and wander off (me) and others have never heard of Jesus and were introduced to him by a stranger (my mentor). However your story begins, the end goal is the same. That we all develop a close intimate relationship with God. I hope that my experience can help you dig a little deeper and develop a more meaningful relationship with our loving Creator.
Do you have a favorite way to draw closer to the Lord? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Please drop it in the comments.
