A while ago, I realized my relationship with God is the only thing that’s going to matter when the Lord returns for his church. As I realized how fruitful that relationship was, an eagerness swept over me like I had never felt. I immediately began to question my relationship with God—was it the best it could be? Was I giving my time and effort to it? Was I challenging myself everyday to fall more in love with Jesus and His Word?

A quick recap of the past few months revealed much room for improvement. I found myself thinking that my parent’s relationship would sort of “tide me over,” and I came to this conclusion. We as young Christians (and by Christian, I mean being Christlike and not just claiming a trend religion) tend to rely on our parents’ relationship with God as our own. Although we should look up to them for spiritual guidance, we should never assume we are covered under their walk with God, or anyone else’s for that matter.

Imagine you were to go to a nice sit-down restaurant with your parents and they ordered the most succulent steaks at no cost to them. Then the waiter offered you one as well, free of charge, but since you were so content just watching your parents enjoy their steak, you declined. The same principle applies to our own lives. Why wouldn’t you get one, right? Well, why wouldn’t you have your own relationship with God?

The relationship your parents may have with God, or even someone else you look up to, is just as good as yours can be. For years I thought I could live off of my parents’ relationship with God, not realizing I could have the same thing all along. I also noticed I treated prayer and reading my Bible like a duty instead of a relationship. We can so easily get into the mindset of “I have to read my bible”, or “I have to pray today.” Our relationship with God is not a duty. Why would you want a relationship with someone who tells you they love you because of a rule or just because they planned to? You wouldn’t, so why would God?

The Bible says in Luke 13:27, “But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” I want to know God, and most importantly, I want Him to know me. I decided to dig deeper into my life. What was I putting before my eyes and ears? Does that hinder my relationship with God? Then I answered my own questions with a question—does it please God? Does what I put before my eyes and ears make God smile or does it push me away from Him? I want to please God, and if it means not watching certain things or going certain places or even listening to certain things, I won’t. Sometimes we can make up excuses in our hearts that momentarily make it “ok” to do something wrong, but in the end, it can have catastrophic consequences.

It really does matter what little things we allow to slip past our convictions. Consistency and dedication are just a little part of a relationship that make a big difference. I challenge you to look over your life and ask yourself the questions I asked myself and then learn to fall in love with Jesus no matter the cost.

Steak anyone?