How Personal Is Personal?

I’m always a bit uncomfortable with the question of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. On a plane ride to Phoenix - I pray that I arrive safely. As I face some of the economic challenges recently – I ask God to protect me financially. When I sit at Nativity on Sunday - I am aware of the presence of God. But when someone asks me “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?” I become uncomfortable. I think that’s because I fear that the real answer is that I have a relationship with God when I need it or when it’s convenient for me.
When I think of the important relationships in my life I think about loving relationships, ones that have an impact on my life every day, ones that are a constant presence to me, that center me, support me, challenge me, and are always there for me – no matter what. Shouldn’t I be able to say at least those same things about my relationship with my God – and even more?
Our group listened to Rick Warren Wednesday night talk about developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As we talked about it, I began to think about how to make Jesus more personal in my life. Invite God into my relationship with my wife every day? Give Jesus a place in all my other relationships? Ask what is honoring to God before I make decisions? Invite Jesus into my meetings at work? Fill more of the spaces in my day to day life with things that are God centered (music, reading, relationships) rather than all the things that point me to the temptations and distractions of our culture. Engage Jesus directly in whatever I’m doing throughout the day?
When Jesus says personal, He means personal – everyday, all day. I find that level of relationship with God a real challenge and I fear I may not be up to it. And so maybe this is where I make my relationship with Jesus really personal – by inviting Jesus to be personally involved with me in this challenge, to quiet my fear, and let Jesus work in all the details of my daily life. For Jesus, personal is personal – every day, all day.