One of the gifts we gave our granddaughter, Joy, for Christmas was a doll house. Several years ago Mason and I built a large house for her. You can read all about the building of the doll house on the tab above. It took months. There were many hours devoted to its building. There were aches and pains accompanied by moments of glee. It was an intense period in our lives.

That beautiful doll house is covered in our basement. There’s no room anywhere for the precious home. Younger siblings were pulling pieces off of the house, so it was decided to put it away until the grandkids are all old enough to enjoy the doll house.

Now that Joy is older, I thought if we built a doll house together, she would appreciate the time and effort put into the larger doll house. I also wanted to spend time with her. Time to teach her about things in this life and more importantly, about Jesus.

We pulled out the instructions and the pieces and began the work of gluing the windows together. Piece by piece, the walls began to take shape and look like a house.

Joy however lost interest pretty quickly and I soon found myself sitting at the table surrounded by wood and glue. And yet again, I started a new journey of learning about God through building a doll house.

I also know that there are times when I’m just not into my relationship with Jesus. There are times when I lose interest in being with Him. There are times when I’m bored with my spiritual journey. There are seasons in life when it seems impossible to spend any time with God, much less quality time with Him.

So what are we to do? I think our first step is to admit that we’ve allowed our spiritual lives to grow cold. Recognize that we are the ones who pulled back from this relationship. It’s in that moment that you can begin to mend the wrong and get closer to the One who desires to be with you more than anything.

You’ve made the decision to draw closer to God. Now what? Listed below are a few areas that will help you make your relationship with God better.

Bible Study

Ezra loved studying God’s Word and we find in Ezra 7 that he devoted himself to the study and observance of God’s law. He knew God’s law and was able to teach it to his fellow Israelites. When we love God’s Word in this way, it will first make an impression upon us. Then it will be visible to others.

We also see in 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV), Timothy was told to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” We must remember that as we learn from God’s Word and do as it says, we find approval from God.

To study God’s Word we must begin with prayer. Then we are to read a passage. Then think about what God is sharing through these words. Of course, we must also figure out how this passage relates to our lives and then allow ourselves to be transformed by God’s Word.

The more we understand Scripture and apply it to our lives, the closer we will be to God.

Prayer

This one may seem more difficult for us. We hear others pray beautiful prayers aloud and believe we could never speak as eloquently as they. But when we approach God’s throne through prayer, we draw closer to Him.

Remember, prayer is conversation. Conversation with God. You can have this conversation at any time, any place, for any reason. You can speak to God throughout your day. You don’t need to be in a specific location or approach Him in a specific physical way. Just talk.

Now there may be times when kneeling or standing is appropriate. If that is the case, by all means do so. But don’t allow your location to keep you from praying.

Whether it is audible or silent, you can pray to God at all times.

Just like any other relationship, where there is communication, there is a healthy relationship.

These are just two ways to draw closer to God. When we have God’s Words rolling around in our hearts, our minds and off our tongues, the connection between ourselves and God is much greater. When we have regular communication with God the relationship becomes vibrant.

These two areas alone will help take the boredom out of your personal relationship with God. Don’t neglect your time with Him. Don’t look at it as a chore. Enjoy your time with God. He loves being with you!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna