Why spend time with Jesus?

When you first meet someone you have to navigate through the small talk, the awkward silences and the “what should I say next?” questions. But the more you spend time with that person and the more you get to know them, the more comfortable you become. You start to open up and go beyond the surface level conversation. Trust grows between you as you know each other's quirks, characteristics, likes and dislikes. It takes both parties to be ready to listen and be open with one another. 

Spending time with Jesus is building a relationship with Him, so when you first start there might be awkward silences and “What should I say next?” questions. But the more you spend time with Him and get to know Him, the easier it will be to have conversations that go deeper. The more you spend time in His Word the more you will understand what His voice sounds like, the easier it will be to recognise when He is talking to you. So if you have found it hard to read the Bible and spend time with God, first of all: that’s totally normal, but secondly: don't give up! The more you spend time with Him the more you will grow to understand Him and His Word, the more comfortable you will become in his presence. 

But what does spending time with Jesus even look like?

I grew up thinking reading the bible meant sitting in a corner quietly and reading one chapter of the Bible a day. In my family and church communities time with God was often described as “Quiet Time". I understand the principles behind this term but I think it added to my skewed idea of what it meant to spend time with God. I thought that being quiet was what I was “supposed to do”, but when I tried that and found myself confused at what I read I thought “I must just not be doing it right" or "I'm not spiritual enough”. I often relied on devotionals to get my “Bible input” but as I grew older I realised a lot of what I thought I knew about the Bible was based on other people's thoughts and interpretations of scripture and not my own.

My relationship with Jesus was filled with the "right” answers and the “right way” of doing things rather than an authentic connection between me and Jesus. I never understood it when people said they were excited about reading the Bible or how they felt so close to Jesus.

The Turning Point

Everything changed when I started to see that spending time with Jesus didn’t have to look like the way I had always viewed it. It doesn't have to be quiet, silent, or solemn, it can look loud, expressive, and creative. I remember attending this worship night while I was at Bible College and seeing a room full of Christians worshipping in such different ways. I saw people in silent reverence while others danced around in joy, while yet others wept on their knees. This was the first time it really hit me that God can connect with us in many ways. The idea that God created me with creative tendencies, with an expressive and loud way of processing things and that isn’t bad or wrong, it’s just different from what I saw modeled. If God created me this way then of course he can connect with me through this same way. 

So the truth is, what it looks like is totally up to you! And the way you spend time with Him can differ and vary through the seasons and over the years. Even now, although daily I often spend time with Jesus in the same way, it can still change depending on the day and what I need. For example the way I hang out with my friends can often look the same, like chatting over coffee or walking and talking but every now and then what we need is a good cry in the car or a vent on the couch. The way we connect with our friends can change depending on each other's needs, circumstances etc. The same can be with our relationship with God. Sometimes we can come to God overwhelmed with hurt, frustration and trying to complete an hour long bible study isn’t necessarily going to be the thing we need. Maybe what we need is to cry out to God honestly and recite comforting scriptures over our situation. Spending time with Jesus shouldn’t be a rigid and unchanging thing. 

How do I find out how I connect to Jesus?

The only way to find out is to give things a go. Firstly take time to reflect, ask yourself the following questions:

• How do I learn best? 

• What is a current obstacle with spending time with Jesus? How can I overcome this? 

• What space do I feel the most focused? E.g. quiet space, café with background noise, nature 

• What time would work the best? (make sure it's achievable) 

It’s important to note just because we feel like we connect with Jesus better one way, doesn’t mean that’s the only way we can connect. I connect best through creativity and writing but I also find value in doing a more structured and in-depth study on a passage. An in-depth Bible study isn’t something I do every day but it’s something I try to prioritise making space for because I know it benefits and challenges my faith. 

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