other than.

One of the first things we need to establish before diving into talking about a relationship with God is that he is other than us. I, along with many other people I know, used to think that God was merely a bigger, smarter, stronger, better version of me. But God is so much more than that. We cannot fathom anything that has no limit; therefore, it is impossible for us to fully understand God in the fullness of who he is. I think that he purposely created our minds to be finite not only for the purpose of him being exponentially greater, but so that there would never be an end to the awe we should have of him. So much of the tension created in the relationships that others have with God is their failure to realize their inability to comprehend everything. Our definitions of things are tainted by the sinful world that we live in, and if we encounter something that fits God's definition and not ours, we immediately assume that God is wrong, unjust, unfaithful, cruel, etc. For example, good is often meant to be something that makes us feel satisfied, happy, wanted, complete. While what God sees as good can very well be something that we see as equally good, it can also be something that does not make us feel so warm and fuzzy. We are like the children who complain about having to receive insulin several times a day, claiming that it's pointless and it hurts; only farther down the road do we begin to have a clearer vision, the bigger picture. Diabetes, like sin, is not something that just goes away--it needs constant maintenance and control. When we have a better understanding of the problem at hand, the steps required to deal with that problem are also better understood, and even valued. The Fall is our massive problem at hand; it has been the main problem since it happened. I believe that seemingly bad things, which we seldom understand, are necessary steps in the process of transforming us into people who are progressively farther and farther from where they started.

Although it is important to know that we can never fully comprehend God, I believe we must long to understand all that he allows. Fortunately for us, God does not just leave us hanging; he has given his children the Holy Spirit, who works in hearts and minds, transforming them to be more able to understand. God reveals himself through his word, creation, and many other things. There is much that exists to be understood, and we are free to desire it. God did not make us to be lazy human beings who just sit around waiting for things to happen. I believe that God wants us to be eager in pursuing him, getting to know his character, his heart, his desires.

I believe that prayer is a crucial part of a relationship with God, though it is one of the elements with which I struggle the most. When I think about it, it's so foolishly ridiculous for me to not take advantage of any moment I have to talk to God. The Creator of this entire universe is free to spend time with me anytime, but it's up to me to take hold of that. Too often, I am convinced that I am created for this world. We are not created for this world, however, but for eternal things. As C.S. Lewis said, "We are souls; we have bodies." When we live with that earthly mindset, our first instinct will always be to run to other people instead of God, to eat a pint of ice cream instead of casting our cares on the Lord, to post unnecessary Facebook statuses about our anger instead of telling God about it. If we believe we have been created for this world, that we are home on this earth, we will do all we can to gather up all that it has to offer; that includes talking to people in place of God.