Let’s get real. How many people have what is characterized as a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a personal relationship with the Almighty, or perhaps a personal experience with the Holy Spirit? It is pretty easy to understand those terms when it comes to experiences in the natural world. We can all attest to personal relationships with other p e o p l e. They are wonderful, painful, and sometimes traumatic, but make no mistake; they are real and personal. In my instances, these relationships shape our character and define us as human beings. Not only do real and deeply personal relationships define us, but they also can set the course for our lives long after they are over . Your relationships with your mother, brother, lover, spouse, or friend can and do leave lasting impressions with life’s consequences not far behind. How we deal with and recover from personal relationships allows us to become who we really are. You’re an extremely lucky individual if you can share these monumental moments with others. Most of us keep them hidden in our secret places to treasure, cherish, or despise alone.
Isn’t it interesting that much of the road to salvation and enlightenment begins with a personal experience that people call being saved, called, and accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? I understand it is puzzling to those who have not had the experience. How can you have a personal experience? How can you have a personal relationship with the invisible, the untouchable, someone who has been dead for over two thousand years? But now, if you had a real relationship with someone who is now deceased or no longer in your life, you too can testify that they had, have, and will continue to have a profound effect on your being as a human being. Even now, you respond to the knowledge of how that person might look upon certain behaviors you wouldn’t want any of us to know you engaged in. You know if that person would be proud of you or embarrassed for you. That’s reality. That’s personal, and so it is with Almighty God.
We begin this personal trip with faith in Jesus, believing in His Godliness, trying to live by His word, recognizing His deity, understanding His sacrifice, and much more. You can’t have a personal relationship with anyone until you truly understand and then respond to where they’re coming from. That, too, is reality. Only a fool would establish a deeply personal relationship with a stranger. Only an idiot would submit themselves to the compromise of someone they met yesterday. How often have you spent an ungodly amount of time with someone who turned out to be a total stranger ultimately? I guess I’m saying many of us don’t know God because we seek Him. We study Him not. We get to know Him not. A personal relationship with God is not measured by how often you attend church but rather by the depth in which His will has touched you. If you don’t believe me, ask Saul, “I am Jesus whom you’ve been persecuting…now get up…” Acts 9: 5-6.
May God bless and keep you always.
This column is from James Washington’s Spiritually Speaking: Reflections for and from a New Christian. You can purchase this enlightening book on Amazon and start your journey toward spiritual enlightenment.
