A relationship with the invisible

 Do you have a hard time with the term “relationship with God”?  I’ve struggled with it.  Being a fairly analytical person, it’s difficult for me to think of having a relationship with a God who is invisible. 

Perhaps one of the reasons that this is difficult for me is that one of the main ways that I “relate” is by being with someone, and sharing experiences together.  How does this work with an invisible God?

Belief in an invisible God is as basic for me as believing elementary logic that something never comes from nothing. For our universe to exist there has to be something beyond nature – we call this “God.”  To believe in a universe that came from nothing – not from a supernatural force – I believe takes more faith than believing in God.  Atheists truly have a lot of faith in no-God.

Maybe should ask why would God want a “relationship” with me, or you, or anyone?

I believe God wants a relationship with me, because I believe that love is the reason for existence.  I believe that God would create, or put into existence, beings in his likeness.  Art always reflects the artist.  And because we’re all highly relational beings (why we’re on Facebook…), I believe that God must be relational.  Besides, why would God create something without having any interest in it?  That wouldn’t make sense.

Back to my original question -- how do I have a relationship with an invisible God?  I believe that I have a relationship with our invisible God through loving, and being loved through God’s creation.  It makes perfect sense because how else would a God that transcends nature love us and relate to in-nature beings? I am very blessed to have many people in my life that love me.  You probably do too.  And if you think you don’t, well you should know that God seeking you and God doesn’t make it easy for you to escape his love.  Fun fact: there are always people that will accept being loved by you.  Fun fact number two:  when you love someone else, there’s a good chance they might love you back.  And I’m NOT talking about romantic love here – I’m talking about self-sacrificial love, loving to give, not loving to get, love.  Trust me, in my dating days I had plenty of times I loved with not the same amount of love in return!  If you love like Jesus describes love – it will be hard to not be rich in relationships for long. 

From the minute we are born to the minute we die we are craving love. We crave our mother to love us, and our desire to have love and affirmation from our parents even when we are adults is ingrained in our souls.  Love is as natural to us as breathing is.  Loving and being loved is how relationships happen.  If we believe that God IS love, then loving, and being loved is how we have a relationship with an invisible God.