When I first became a Christ-follower, and for many years before and some years after, I thought that following Jesus looked like this:
Beautiful but confined.
Well-formed, but constricted.
Rigid. Constrained. Pruned to the point of no self-expression.
But…
I have come to learn that an authentic relationship with God looks much much MUCH more like this:
A little wild and expressive. Fragrant. Free.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
Blossoming in its time.
“Blessed is the one […]
whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3)
Free to grow, explore, expand, but also protected from being trampled, hemmed in by generous boundaries.
“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6:15)
And the body of Christ all working and living together? Oh! Now that is one beautiful garden, the contrast of blooming gifts intensifying the beauty. He came to give us an abundant LIFE!
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
And it’s no surprise that God uses more garden imagery to describe a blessed man:
“Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the Lord” (Psalm 128:3-4).
So if you’re feeling bent out of shape over what a relationship with God actually looks like… Or–more to the point–if you’re feeling bent into a particular non-you shape… Take heart! Because that is not God’s heart for you…
“I run in the path of your commandments,
for you have set my heart free” (Psalm 119:32).
He came to set your heart free!
So, what does an authentic relationship with God look like for you? Do tell!
CampClem 
Wonderful! My daughter is going through confirmation in our methodist church. One if our tenets is that Methodists have an official stand, but we as members are not required to sign agreement forms or limit our faith practice if we don’t agree with everything they state. I’m happy that my church encourages us to not follow a rigid structure, but instead blossom and share Gods love with others.
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A beautiful way to start the day.
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You are so Gifted with your analogies Gina! This was beautiful. May He continue to work in your heart and life to inspire and help put His glorious story on display 🙂
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So humbled and blessed by this comment. Just thank you.
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I really needed to stumble upon this blog, so thankful that I did. I have been on-the-fence about going back to church and building a relationship with God again; and this confirmed what I need to do. Thank you.
I will be following your blog from here on out.
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I am so excited to read that you are going to give church another go!! One of the best decisions you ever make will be finding and committing to a fellow body of believers!
And a personal relationship with God is THE BEST thing you can ever develop!!
God bless,
g i n a
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