Your turn
So far in this brief series we have looked at different ways of being in relationship with God. For these devotions to be genuinely helpful to you, it is important for you to take the time to reflect upon your own relationship with God.
Please take a moment and play along. The practice of actually participating in this reflection will be far more powerful than simply thinking about it. You will need a paper and pen or pencil. There are no points for beauty or style. There are also no “right” answers, so feel free to just draw what comes to mind.
Draw a picture or diagram that includes all the different kinds of people in your lives. The point of the drawing is to show each of these things in relationship to you and one another as they are right now. Below is a list of the kinds of folks to include, but please add anyone else who is important to you.
Yourself
Your immediate family
Other people to whom you feel emotionally close (e.g. your closest friends and co-workers)
Individuals who are not as close to you but still part of your life (extended family, other friends, co-workers, etc.)
Communities (groups of people) you are actively part of. These include people with whom you spend time (these may intersect with your friends). Communities may be things like work, social or service clubs, church, hobbies, social causes, etc. These do not need to be physical spaces where you meet people. They may include online communities. If you feel an affiliation with a group of people and spend time on those relationships, then write it down.
Other relatives – those more distant than the ones you already drew.
Other friends, acquaintances, colleagues, etc. These are folks whom you know and interact, but to whom you do not feel particularly close emotional or relational ties.
God – represented any way that makes sense to you. There is no right answer! Simply show how you understand God to be in relationship with you and everything else you’ve drawn.
Now, sit back and look at your picture. What does the way you drew the picture say about your relationship with your friends, family, colleagues, etc.? With whom are you close? With whom are you estranged? How do you feel about your answers?
Look at where God shows up. How does this reflect the kind of god you have right now?
Next, flip over the paper and draw a second picture or diagram showing the same things in different relationships to one another. Perhaps show the relationship you wish you had with each group and especially with God. If you are satisfied with the current relationships, then simply imagine another way you might be in relationship with God. For example, if God was previously around the outside of the diagram looking in or down at everyone else from heaven, perhaps draw a new picture with God in the center or flowing throughout.
Once you have finished your second picture sit back and ask yourself how you feel about this picture. What changed between the two pictures? What would it be like if your relationships reflected the second picture you drew?
Look especially at the way you drew God in each picture. What, if anything, changed about the relationship between you and God?
Take a moment and talk with God about the pictures and what it means for your relationship with one another. Make sure to make space in the conversation for God to speak into your soul - perhaps with a word, feeling or idea that pops into your mind, and perhaps with sighs too deep for words.
If you are comfortable, take a moment to share what this experience was like for you in the comment section below. May this exercise be a blessing to you.
