I started wondering this week why we think it’s so different to be in a relationship with God than anyone else.
Of course, he’s the King of the universe. There’s no way for it to be exactly the same.
But the mechanics of how a relationship works? Maybe they’re not so different as we think.
If nothing else, considering how our relationship with God isn’t so different from other relationships extends our faith to truly believe his words in so many verses about being our friend.
Trust & Oranges
Not too long ago, I showed my friend an orange I was trying to eat. I’d peeled the orange, broken it in half, cleared out the white stem from the center of the fruit, and now I was examining the fuzzy white parts still stuck to the middle of the orange slices.
Now, this friend knows I’m terrified of eating mold. I’ve also regularly gone to this friend, stuck a piece of food in her face, and asked her to tell me if it was okay to eat or not.
I used to make jokes that this friend was trying to poison me because she’d say stuff was safe to eat that I wasn’t so sure about. I stopped making those jokes because I think she was a little hurt that I didn’t trust her judgment.
(Shoutout to this friend for being amazing & loving me through so much.)
Either way, when I held the orange up to the light she explained to me that fruits with peels don’t usually mold on the inside unless there’s a hole in the peel and the white fuzz I was looking at was just the regular old pulp you’d find in any orange.
I said okay and started to walk away.
My okay sounded pretty unsure, and I could see in her face that she’d noticed.
I wanted to say: “I’ve decided to trust you, I just haven’t eaten any of it yet.”
“I’ve decided to trust you, I just haven’t eaten any of it yet.”
And at that thought, I pretty much stopped in my tracks. I didn’t turn around and explain it to her, but continued in a daze as my mind spun together what that meant.
I’d decided to trust her, but the trusting didn’t actually happen until I put the thing in my mouth.
Deciding to trust someone and actually trusting them are two separate actions. For example: in telling someone your secrets, you can decide to trust them, but you’re not actually doing the trusting until your words are spilling your guts on the floor.
So I put that orange slice in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed it. (I didn’t die, in case anyone is worried.)
And while I was doing it, I knew that was the actual moment of trust.
Trusting God works the exact same way. You can decide to trust him, but actual trusting doesn’t happen until you take the leap of faith.
I think we’re thwarted in our relationship with God because we don’t make the distinction. We’ve decided to trust him, but we haven’t actually made the leap. Then we’re frustrated that we’re not growing in our relationship with him.
So how do I make the leap?
Remember when I talked about trusting someone enough to share your secrets? It’s a pretty dangerous thing when the person isn’t trustworthy, but God is completely trustworthy.
Have you ever said your deepest secrets out loud to God?
Go somewhere by yourself, preferably somewhere surrounded by trees or grass and sky, and pray out loud. Bring your shame, your flaws, your embarrassments into the light of his presence.
When you’re done you might feel empty. That’s okay. Just invite him into that space.