Sometimes we see forming a relationship with God as something out-of-this-world confusing, or we don’t even know where to begin. When in reality, forming a relationship with our God is a lot simpler than we believe. Even being here and deciding to read this is the first step towards a deeper relationship with God, but the confusion might still be there surfacing. “What should I even do to form a relationship with Him? To trust Him? To love Him? How do I form a friendship with the most important and powerful being in the entire universe?”
Hold on. Breathe. I am here today to not only guide you to beginning a relationship with the person who loves you more than you know, but I am here to be a friend in this process and journey. So now, how do you begin?
1. Prayer
You might know what prayer is, but you might not know how to begin praying. Well, the beauty of forming a relationship with God is that even sitting in his presence is a form of prayer. Sometimes you do not even have to say anything at all! But if you have never done it before, prayer can seem like an extremely daunting task. Simply begin by talking to Him. Let Him know what you are feeling, what you are thinking, even how nervous you might be talking to Him. He wants to know it all, and He wants to hear you talk to Him and share your life with Him.
What if you don’t know what to say? Thank goodness Jesus was so good he decided to give us the most perfect prayer during His time here on earth (Luke 11:1-4)! A great place to begin is by simply reading the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) and meditating on its meaning. There are hundreds of beautifully written prayers by saints, and of course don’t forget the power of the Holy Rosary. You can watch a YouTube video and follow along to pray the Holy Rosary in about 15 minutes, which is honestly amazing. Prayer is not something to stress about, but to rejoice in and get to know God through. I challenge you to take 5 minutes of your day and simply spend that time with God. Your life will change and you will never be the same.
2. Reading The Bible
Now I know what you’re saying: “Woah, hold up! You want me to read the entire Bible? I’m out.” The Bible is perhaps one of the most intimidating parts of being Catholic and definitely something I struggled with for a long time. But taking time to read and meditate with the Bible is crucial for your relationship with God. Why? Because a one-way relationship never works. You cannot be talking constantly to God and not taking time to listen and find answers in the Bible.
But don’t worry, read my blog on Lectio Divina, a beautiful tool used to not only read the Bible, but also hear God’s voice through meditating on a certain Bible verse. You will truly find conversation and find God reaching out to you through Lectio Divina, reminding you that He is with you always.
3. Fellowship, Community, and Friendship
God never meant for us to journey through this arduous path of life alone. He wants us to join in communion with others and meet other souls who are just as curious and longing to know who He is. I have found some of my best friends by following God’s path, and have fallen more in love with God by seeing the beauty he created in others. It is crucial to find a group of girlfriends or a community with whom you can share your journey. A friend that can inspire, guide, and motivate you when the journey gets hard. A friend to hold your hand and point you back to Jesus when you can’t seem to find Him. Join your parish and look for a youth group or bible study where you can find like-minded individuals who are seeking God as well!
4. Resting In Him – Embracing Silence
Resting in God is simple. It is the simple reflection of who God is, and contemplating Him through silence. Throughout our lives, we hardly have time to breathe, let alone sit in silence with God for a couple of minutes. But taking 5 minutes a day to simply sit in His presence and BREATHE is so important not only for your sanity, but for your personal relationship with Him as well.
“How do you meditate? What do you even do? How do I sit still and do nothing for 5 minutes straight?” I realize how crazy and daunting it can sound. But I promise you that resting in God’s presence and closing your eyes to acknowledge Him will not only help your relationship with Him, but it will also help you in every other aspect of your life.
5. Adoration – Visit Jesus In The Chapel
This last one is perhaps my personal favorite, and one of the most beautiful forms of prayer. Like I said before, life is crazy and busy. But stopping by the chapel and simply gazing at our Creator in the form of the Eucharist can change your life. Gazing at the Holy Eucharist is like gazing into the sun. You will be changed by simply sitting in His presence, just like every time you’re in the sun you get a little tanner. God loves it when we make the effort of going to see Him and show Him how much we care. I love to picture it as going on a date with my Beloved, because it is one on one time with the one person who loves you more than anyone ever could.
I hope you take time and put some of these suggestions into practice to form and grow your relationship with God. God loves us and yearns to be in a relationship with us. He longs for you and wants you like no other, because you are His one and only. Through prayer, fellowship, the Eucharist, and more we can slowly begin trusting God and He will begin revealing Himself to us as well. Invite Him into your life and let Him love you, transform you, guide you, change you and hold you through this journey of life. I promise you will never regret it.
Love, Luna
