From Checklist To Relationship

Have you ever caught yourself treating your faith like a checklist?

I’m a rule follower. I never had detention in school. On the first day of college, when I got my syllabus, I would always plan out when I’d complete the big projects—well before the due date, of course. And let’s not even talk about how I feel when I see a police officer on the road.

So when it comes to my faith, I can easily fall into the legalistic side of things. I can start to view the Bible as a list of do’s and don’ts. But that’s not at all what Jesus intended for us, and it’s not the story the Bible is meant to tell. If you look at God as a checklist, you miss the story entirely.

God certainly gives His people a way to live—a lifestyle that, overall, brings peace, joy, and direction, drawing you closer to Him. But being a Christian is, at its core, a relationship. It’s a daily conversation and a daily listening to Jesus. It’s a continual desire to know the heart and soul of the One who died for you.

You don’t have to search for the line of what you should or shouldn’t cross. Instead, fix your eyes on Jesus and walk with Him. Get to know Him. Talk to Him. Bring Him your heartaches, your celebrations, and your concerns. As you do, you’ll find that He shapes your heart and aligns your desires along the way.

The more you look at Jesus, the more you’ll want to be in His Word and in His presence. And the less you’ll find yourself focused on what you can and can’t do. The Christian walk stops being a list of rules and starts becoming a relationship.

It really is a beautiful thing.