Three Steps to a Better Relationship with Jesus. Seven Ways to Know God’s Will. Five Tips for a Better Prayer Life. E=mc2. 5-7-5. Okay, so those last two don’t quite fit the rest but, hey, they’re still formulas.
To lose weight, a better diet and 30 minutes on the treadmill everyday will work. But it’s not going to last forever. We will lose some weight, we will increase our endurance, but eventually we’ll also plateau. At some point, to keep making progress, we have to change things up, work harder or longer, at the very least, we need to add in some variety. And abandon the formula.
Formulas are great for solving math problems and writing Haiku’s, but there’s no real formula for getting to know God. You could talk to 20 different people and discover each one has a different practice that works. This is the beauty of it all. Each of us is different, and so is that which increases our relationship with God.
My quiet time routine (or complete lack of routine) works for me, but that doesn’t mean it will work for you. A formula might help to get you started, but at some point, you will need to try something new, develop your own routine, in order to keep making progress.
Today, let go of the formulas and boxes we try to put God in. Instead, embrace the one-of-a-kind relationship you have with the God who created the one-of-a-kind you!