I don’t like doing things for no reason. I’m one of those people who wishes there were 48 hours in a day; I can never get everything finished. I don’t have time for pointless things. Even when I’m having fun, like hanging out with friends, it has a purpose, such as building strong relationships or encouraging someone. So when I think of things I do every day, I want to be sure that there is a purpose to it. That’s why I asked myself why I do Christian stuff. I mean, I’m already saved, and I know a lot about the Bible already. Why do I read my Bible and pray every day? Why do I go to church? I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t just doing those things because I’m supposed to. I wanted to know that there’s a reason for doing it. I compiled just three of the many, many reasons why I think what I do is important, and I wanted to share them with you. Maybe this is something you should think about as well.
Why is it so important to have a relationship with God?
1. You will have an understanding of our Creator.
John 1:3 says that there is nothing on earth that God hasn’t made. Everything good comes from Him. We come from Him. He is everything. As a writer, I know that when I write a book, I’m the one who knows the most about it. I know each of the characters in detail; I have the timeline figured out. And I know how the story will end. It’s the same way with God; He knows us, our personalities and quirks. He knows how long we’re going to live. And He knows where our life is going to end up. It makes sense, then, to want to get to know Him as much as possible. I want to know the person who knows me so well. The Bible also says that our purpose in life is to glorify God, and that’s the only way we’ll be satisfied and fulfilled. The more we get to know Him, the more we will want to glorify Him. We’ll see His true personality, His strength, His perfection. We’ll understand why He allows certain things; we’ll see His goodness in all circumstances. The better we know God, the more our eyes will be opened to His plan for us.
2. You will find your identity.
On some level, we all struggle with identity crisis. All of us are trying to figure out who we are and how we fit into the grand scheme of life. We think we’ve found our identity in comparing ourselves to each other— our looks, our achievements, our income. But that’s not where who we are comes from. It comes from the Person who made us.
As I said before, God knows us better than anyone ever could. So when He says something about me, I know it’s true. The more we read the Bible, the more truths we will discover about ourselves. It calls those who believe in Him God’s children. It says we are loved and forgiven. These attributes are very different from the ones we normally give ourselves, but they are the truth, whereas the titles we give ourselves can be the opposite. The more time we spend with God, the more we will know ourselves and become at peace with who God created us to be.
3. You will be able to love others.
I don’t think you can love others well if you don’t love yourself. Have you ever realized that when people judge others, they’re judging themselves even harder? A friend of mine used to call people fake all the time, only later realizing that she couldn’t be herself and that was why she was so upset about it. If we get to know who we are through God’s word, we will be able to love others as well.
I was a big “judger.” I would look at people all the time and shake my head, complaining that I couldn’t like someone because she was so obnoxious or full of herself. But what I’ve come to realize is that the people who are most obnoxious act that way because they are scared and insecure. They pretend to be cool because they’ve been hurt before and don’t want the same thing to happen again. I started seeing through the masks. I think I’ve started seeing what God sees on a much smaller scale, of course. He sees through all the fluff and catches the real person underneath. I’ve been able to love people so much better since I’ve found this truth, because I don’t just see the toughness on the outside. I see the hurt underneath.
These things are all a mindset change, not a chore. We shouldn’t be forcing ourselves to love others or love ourselves. The root of everything is our relationship to God. If we understand who God is, we’ll understand who we are, and we’ll understand who others are. It’s incredible how much your life can change by getting to know Him.
So is it worth all the time? Yes! It’s the most important thing in the world. Nothing should take a place over your relationship with God. Nothing.
So what are you doing? How are you spending your life? Is whatever you doing worth it? Or is it a waste of time? Don’t throw your life away on meaningless things. Do what’s most important. Find your identity in God, and everything else will change with it.
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