Nurturing A Deeper Relationship With God

Nurtuing A Deeper Relationship With God

By Eileen Renders                                    October 20, 2023

   For many years, I wondered about how can I have a more intimate relationship with Christ. I pondered that of course, He was way too busy to listen to the voice of everyone who tried to speak to Him. Let alone have a conversation with Him. We are worlds apart, He is God our creator, and I am a sinner. Just going about my life in a normal fashion, living the best way I felt I was capable of was all I could do, was it not?

   As time passed, I found myself volunteering to become an “Adorer” at church on a designated day and time while the monstrance containing the host sat on the altar. That quiet time just sitting there and doing so quietly so that God knew it was a time to visit and just be with Him provided much comfort. During another period of time, I became a CCD teacher and taught 2nd or 3rd Grade students about the two sacraments they were being prepared for, that of the sacrament of Reconciliation, and Holy Communion.  This teaching and sharing allows us as a teacher, to also reaffirm what we are teaching while reflecting on the sacraments we ourselves have made.

   When I was not involved with the church as much, I created my own quiet, private space in my bedroom where I could pray the rosary while looking out the window into the backyard, and beyond into the woods. Those were quiet, peaceful times, and I could feel that I was indeed, nearer to Jesus and His mother Mary.

   With the passing of time, I made it a habit to frequent the sacraments and to never miss Mass unless I was ill. While I cannot remember exactly when it happened, I realized that I frequently spoke to Jesus in the silence of my heart. I shared my problems, and my fears, and asked for His guidance.

   We can never outdo Christ in giving. Whatever we offer up for His sake always comes back to us in graces and blessings beyond what we may deserve. Then it happened, at church just after receiving Holy Communion and kneeling down in my pew, Jesus would whisper a few words of spiritual wisdom into the corner of my heart. My heart would pound so hard within my chest, the awe of knowing that God loved me was so joyful!

   I was soon blessed with the grace to understand many things about life that I had never considered, nor been aware of before. For example; I you have a senior parent or a grandma whom you love dearly, you visit them, run errands for them, or take them out to Lunch. You show your love through time and devotion. You become closer. God desires the same from us, He deserves it, does He not?

   Too, in prayer, I prayed that God would teach me to be what He wanted me to be, it is amazing how we gradually begin to become a better person, more pleasing to God. Yet knowing that God is working in us and through us is one of the very, very special blessings that any of us could hope for.

   To share with you the fact that spending time with Jesus in prayer, meditation, or just quietly sitting and sharing with Him are definitely ways to deepen our relationship with Him. Doing charitable work in His name is yet another way to show our love for Him. To hear God speak to our heart takes patience, a quiet area without disturbance, and a special time of not perhaps asking, but listening. If you do not hear Him speaking to your heart, you may feel and see Him working through you and in your life.