We are told that the first and greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5, NKJV)

But, how do we do this?

For years I wondered, “How do I have a relationship with someone when I cannot sit down and have a face-to-face conversation with him?”

I couldn’t wrap my mind around this unique type of intimacy until I finally realized I needed to stop trying to define the relationship and just allow God to pursue me.

He will do this, you know. He’ll pursue you.

But he won’t push because God is a gentleman.

Although he wants nothing more than to be in relationship with you because he created you, he won’t force the relationship.

What’s his reason?

Because all close relationships must be mutual.

A friend asked me last week, “How do you allow God to be in relationship with you?”

I believe we do this the same way we allow anyone to be in relationship with us, by investing ourselves in the relationship.

When my husband and I were dating, he pursued me.

He e-mailed me, called me, wrote letters to me, visited me, spent time with me, listened to me, and drew close to me.

And in doing these things, he came to know me, and eventually, he fell in love.

He invested himself in me, and through his time and effort, he also allowed me to be in relationship with him.

That’s what relationships are about. Mutual investment.

If my husband had pursued me, but I had not responded to his e-mails, answered his phone calls, or opened the door when he came to visit, our relationship wouldn‘t have gone very far.

If he had sent me love letters, and I had sent him one short letter for every 10 he sent me, I might have an acquaintance, but I likely wouldn’t have a husband.

Do you catch my drift?

We must be willing to consistently invest in God.

How can we be expected to love God with all of our hearts if we do not make a consistent effort in the relationship?

How can we learn to have conversations with him if we don’t spend time with him?

How are we supposed to learn about his character if we do not read his love letters to us?

The Bible is like God’s long love letter that tells us about his history, his family, his journey, his desires, his interests and his character.

He loves us enough to send us his story so that we can know him, and in knowing him, learn to love him.

1 John 4:19 tells us, “We love him because he first loved us.” (NKJV)

Because he loved us, he created us. And, because he loves us, he pursues us.

What does this look like?

It looks like his caring about the details of our lives.

I recently told a friend that I tend to trust God with the big struggles in my life but try to contend with the minor struggles on my own.

It’s as if I’m saying to God, “You don’t have time to deal with my petty stuff, so I’ll take care of it.”

Lucky for me, God can multitask and always has time for me because he does love me.

As I struggled through a situation all day today, I labored to resolve a problem.

It wasn’t until I stopped trying and starting seeking God’s provision, that the answer was given. The problem was solved. Stress was released.

I’m not saying it’s always that easy. Sometimes it may seem we are seeking him for days, weeks or even years, and our problems are not resolved.

But, I will guarantee he allows our struggles to grow us in our faith, solidify our character, and ultimately glorify himself in the circumstances.

Again, I will compare this to my relationship with my husband.

If I write a check and my account becomes overdrawn, I might stress all day trying to figure out how I will reimburse my account. But, if I tell my husband, he can assist me.

However, he might choose not to assist me because he believes my situation is a learning experience that will allow me to grow and become a more responsible person.

He does this because he loves me enough to help me change.

Our relationship with God is similar. He waits for us to come to him.

And when we do, he will either rescue us from our struggle or walk with us through our struggle so we can grow.

It’s always during this precious time of walking with him that we learn how much he loves us.

He speaks to us through his Word. He speaks to us through the small, still voice of the Holy Spirit. He speaks to us through the people he sends to minister to us.

And when we begin to take the time to listen when he speaks, to stop our busy-ness long enough to pay attention to the small, still voice, we begin to love God in return.

Why?

Because we’ve allowed the relationship to become mutual. We’ve allowed him to pursue us, and we’ve consistently invested in him.

And, through this investment, we fulfill the greatest commandment.



Misty Shultz holds master’s degrees in marriage and family counseling and Christian education. She can be reached at mmenos_7@yahoo.com.