We humans tend to complicate every aspect of our lives, especially God. We want the best worship experience and an emotional message on Sundays. We overthink God by our works. All our lives most of us are told that you must be in church and studies to have God in our lives, which in fact, is not true. Hear me out, I am not saying that church is not important. I am saying God is more than a church service and group studies. He is simply about relationship. He does not want us so busy trying to figure out who He is that we have no time to personally have a relationship with Him.
For the last year, I have been going to one church to another trying to find the perfect setting — is the worship spiritual enough or is the message convicting to bring me to the altar. I was looking for emotion rather than God Himself. I was so insecure that I needed to be convicted to speak to God for forgiveness. And when restlessness and discontentment came over me, I moved on to another church. Through all the confusion, I caused more chaos in my life. I caused more disappointment of what the church should be — to my preference.
A few months ago, I decided to temporarily stop attending church and have church at home. Every Sunday morning and Wednesday night I would listen to a podcast from my iPad and worship God in my own living room. I spent daily in prayer. In just a month, God showed Himself to me with simplicity and love. It is not required to do works to find God’s love; He is love, and He only desires relationship with me. When I complicated God, I was miserable. The standards I put on myself only made me feel more inadequate. It was only when I simplified the way I approached God is when I found the true God. A God who is not demanding but unconditionally loving. A God who is all comfort not judgmental. A God who makes me whole when I feel incomplete. God is complex in so many ways, but when it comes to a relationship with Him, it’s simple: Love God with all her heart and live a life abundantly in His love. Love God and be a Disciple. Simple as that.
We need to stop representing a demanding God who is false and scary. We need to start showing others that God is all about the heart. He is all about love. We do not need an emotional message on Sunday to convict us of our sin, but a message of truth. We do not need to a worship service to sound like a professional concert, but to worship God in purity. We don’t need an in-depth message every week to tell us who God is; we need to experience God ourselves through group Bible Studies and an individual prayer life. If we want a relationship with God, we need to pursue Him at church, at home, in our workplace, and with our family and friends. God is everywhere!
When you seek God in simplicity, you will find His joy and His peace. When you pursue Him with all your heart, you will find the true God that you have been looking for. It starts with you — not the church or others — YOU!
Faith.Hope.Love 