Words that Inspire

Believe it or not, you have a unique relationship with God. “If brother S can fast for 7 days, I don’t see why you can’t”. I have heard a lot of similar statements in church; they are statements that compare how one person serves God to another, almost as if it is a competition. I have always disliked that. We are all unique human beings, with different traits and behaviors. This is why a parent with more than one child has a different relationship with each one. To one, they may take time to explain things and with the other, explanation is followed by action – everyone learns differently. It does not mean that they love one more than the other, but just as each child is different, actions and the relationship is adjusted to suit.

The same is true with other relationships. Someone who has dated more than one person will tell you that different relationships, while equally important in his or her life, can very different. Even amongst friends, relationships differ. One friend might be called twice a day and the other is called twice a month. Both bonds are equally strong and both friends equally important, but the nature of the relationship is different. If this is the case with earthly relationships, why do we expect that it is not the same with our relationship with God?

 

David and Solomon

I believe that as different as we are, so are our relationships with God. It is also biblically based. David’s relationship with God was nothing like Solomon’s relationship with God. With David, there were prayers, psalms, singing, and dancing. Solomon’s was more sacrifice based. With David, God talked to him through prophets like Nathan (2 Sam 12:1) and Gad (2 Sam 24:11), while with Solomon, God spoke directly to him (1 King 3:5, 1 King 9:2, 2 Chron 1:7). You cannot say that God loved one more than the other. He called one a man after his own heart and blessed another with unparalleled wisdom and riches. However, his relationship with each one differed.

 

The Apostles

We are also called to different gifts and graces. Take a look at the apostles. Jesus Christ chose twelve of them, but no two were alike.

•  Peter was called to be the rock of the church
•  Philip was one of the first who ‘blindly’ followed
•  Thomas was the one who needed proof of Christ’s crucifixion to believe in his resurrection
•  James the son of Zebedee was known for his fiery temper. He wanted Christ to rain fire on a Samarian town (Luke 9:51-54)
•  John, James’ brother was the author of the gospel of John, three epistles and the book of Revelation.

The point is that each one of them, even the brothers, were different when it came to the relationship they had with God.

 

No Comparison

Today, we need to be very careful about always comparing our spiritual abilities. It is important that we know the nature of our individual relationship with God and works hard to make it a fruitful and effective one. Don’t get me wrong – there are basic things that should be common when it comes to our dealings with God: prayer, praise, worship, giving, etc. However, the form of those things and our strengths in those activities do not have to be the same. The fact that one person can pray for 10 hours does not mean you have to. I would rather pray wholeheartedly, with all my being, for 1 minute, than pray for 15 hours, not because I feel the need to, but because someone else can do it and thus I feel I have to.

 

Lessons from a Chaplain’s Brother

I learned this lesson when I was a little girl. I attended an Anglican convent when I was younger and we had a school chaplain that lived in the school with his family. He led most of our Sunday services and he had a brother who occasionally held bible study classes. Their styles could not be more different, but it was obvious to any listener that they both loved God tremendously. One evening I went with a classmate to the chaplain’s apartment on an errand for his wife, and we met his brother. The friend I went with was someone who was older than me by about 5 years.  Se loudly proclaimed Christ wherever she went. When someone asked her how she was, she always said something like “I am full of grace and favor, thanks for asking”.

I must have been 9 or 10 at the time and I was so impressed. To me, that was how someone who was in Christ should always respond. When the chaplain’s brother asked her how she was, she responded and went in. When he asked me how I was, I responded exactly as she had and he scolded me for doing that. Although I said nothing, I was very upset with him. If she responded that way and it was ok, why couldn’t I? I had a brief discussion with him later on and my take away was this:

•  There is no guarantee that the way a person serves God is the way to heaven.

 

•  The way a person reacts to the presence of God in their life is just as natural to the way a person reacts to other relationships. For example, when I see my sister, I always want to give her a hug. When I see my brother, a pat on the back and holding his arm suffices. However, I love both of them fiercely and equally.

Unique Relationship with God

Do not allow yourself to be so invested in how someone else serves God that you miss an actual relationship with God. You can have role models, but you cannot be a copycat. It is the difference between wanting to be a great person like your parent, but knowing you cannot be a clone of that person.