Stop Trying to Get Close to God

A Man Resting - Image by iStock

You know what's funny?

I've watched Christians for nearly 50 years trying to get closer to God. More prayer meetings, more Bible studies, more serving on committees. And the harder they try, the more worn out they look.

Then one day—and I've seen this happen more times than I can count—the light comes on. They stop trying to reach God "out there" and realize He's been living in them all along.

It's like discovering you've been searching all over the house for your glasses while they're sitting on top of your head.

What "Abiding" Actually Means

Malcolm Smith calls this "abiding," and before your eyes glaze over at another churchy word, stay with me.

To abide just means to be at home, to settle down and rest in someone. Picture sitting in your favorite recliner on a Sunday afternoon. You're not trying to prove you belong there. You're just... home.

That's what Jesus meant when He said, "Abide in me, and I in you" (John 15:4). He's not asking you to climb some spiritual ladder to reach Him. He's saying, "I'm already in you. Relax. Let's live this day together."

A Love Relationship, Not Religious Rules

Here's where it gets good—and I mean really good. The Christian life isn't about religious rules. It's a love relationship. God's love for you is unconditional, unending, unwavering.

That doesn't change when you mess up or feel far away. The cross settled all that once for all.

What This Looks Like in Real Life

I think of Janet in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. For years she woke up every morning wondering if she'd done enough to keep God close. Exhausting. Then one day she got it: Christ was already in her.

Now she wakes up and says, "Okay, Lord, what are we doing today?" Completely different way to live.

So when problems hit—and they will—you don't have to pray like God's somewhere out in space. He's right there in you. Turn inward and say, "Lord, You're here. Think through me. Love through me. Handle this with me."

A Simple Picture

It's like a branch on a grapevine. The branch doesn't strain and grunt trying to produce grapes. It just stays connected to the vine, and the life flows naturally. Fruit happens because of the connection, not the effort.

The Sweet Medicine

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, Julie Andrews sang. So here's the sugar: you can stop trying so hard. And here's the medicine that's actually sweet: Jesus is already in you, and His grip on you doesn't loosen when you fail.

That's abiding. And after watching people discover this truth for nearly five decades, I can tell you—it changes everything.

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