Living Into Relationship With God

I"ve been thinking a lot this past week about my invitation to live in relationship with God. We talked about this in the Thursday morning study group: how God invites us through Christ into a relationship with Him. Of course, I accept this invitation and feel blessed by it. But...what exactly does a relationship with God look like? My wonderings took me to the various relationships in my life. I have casual relationships with people in my community, i.e. shopkeepers, the postmaster, the guy at the gas station. They are based on respect and being cordial. I have friends and acquaintances; those relationships are based on this as well adding a sense of caring, some common interests, being friendly. I have a handful of deep friendships that take this even further with compassion, the love of agape, support, acceptance. Familial relationships run the gamut of the love of siblings, parents, children, and grandchildren....unconditional love, loyalty, feelings of wonder and joy, support that elevates to "I'd do anything for my child, parent, brother, granddaughter." Family relationships tolerate the messiness of life and celebrate the pure joy of being together. Family relationships that tolerate dissent and disagreement; that at the end of the day are relationships that gather everyone around the table to share in a common life.

So where does a relationship with God fit in? I think this snippet from John 21:1-19 that Mary preached from last weekend gives me a clue: "That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. Yes, exuberant Peter ran to the Lord! But being eager for this spiritual relationship is not the clue. We all know that often Peter didn't 'get it.' He was so human...just like me. He denied, he was ashamed, he felt unworthy. So he felt he had to 'put on some clothes, for he was naked' before he approached his Lord. Peter illustrates what takes a relationship with God far beyond even the unconditionally loving relationship we have with family...it asks us to let ourselves be naked and vulnerable before God, to strip away all the false selves, the defenses, the wants and desires of the world that we surround ourselves with and come to God as His precious child, His creation. To accept that God loves us just as we are, without our 'clothes.' To know that He, unlike anyone else in our lives including family, is totally trustworthy, always loyal, ever present. To accept that God knows us like no other, that with Him we don't need excuses or defenses; that with Him we don't even need words. Relationship with God is love and compassion, unconditional love, joy, community, acceptance and support. And it goes far beyond those things. It asks us to be in relationsip with God totally stripped and vulnerable, knowing we are safe within His care.