“Your relationship vertically with Jesus affects your relationships horizontally with others.”

*Think about the cross, it has a vertical side and a horizontal side*

I was sitting at church a few Sunday’s ago in my hometown and this was a key point that stood out to me during the sermon.

I have always been a firm believer that Christ affects every part of your life when you are truly seeking to have a relationship with Him. When I became a christian, Christ changed everything about my being. I view everything around me so differently because I try to see things the way Jesus would.

With that being said, a relationship with Jesus goes through the hills and valleys. The hills are those times when our hearts are on fire for Jesus. It’s like we can’t get enough and we feel so connected to Him. The valleys are those times when we feel like we are going through the motions of life and we don’t feel Jesus near us.

If I am ever feeling like my relationship is going through a valley with Jesus, it usually links back to one thing: I am not spending enough time with Him. During those times, I probably wasn’t spending enough time in His word or I wasn’t praying the way that I should.

More often than not, when I am not spending enough time with Jesus, it has a negative impact on me. I am not as kind and gentle in my thoughts and my words. I don’t have a Christ like attitude. I feel more stressed. It is just not good!

Therefore, my relationship vertically with Jesus affects my relationships and everything in my life horizontally.

Our relationship with Jesus not only changes the way we treat others but it also changes how we receive things from others. When others make us upset, we choose how we react. You know those bracelets that we all wore as kids: WWJD? (What would Jesus do?) Those bracelets are great reminders as adults. Stop and ask yourself WWJD?

See recent blog post: Before I say Something that I Regret

It is up to us to make sure we are always climbing the hills to be near God. He is always there, we just have to knock at His door and He will answer. It is the same way with our relationships with people. We feel closer in our relationships with others including our friends and family when we spend time with them.

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These are some of the things I do to spend time with Jesus:

• I pray. I write my prayers out on paper so that I can refer back to them. I also pray with my husband- I think that is so important.
• I start my day in the word with a quick devotion. Giving God the first 5- 10 minutes of the day changes everything for me.
• I attend church regularly to be a part of the body of Christ.
• I try to spend time with others who share my beliefs, who are uplifting, and who encourage me in my walk with the Lord.
• One of my favorite things is listening to worship music in the car. If you live in the Upstate, 106.9 the light is my jam!

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All of these things seem so simple but when I am not doing these “simple” things, I don’t feel connected with the Lord. When I am doing all of these things on a daily basis, it makes a world of difference.

I told someone just the other day that this world is very corrupt in a lot of ways but Jesus is my way of blocking all of that out. We can let society and the world try to tell us how to live and be exhausted/ drained trying to live up to impossible expectations. Jesus is the answer y’all! He’s got it all together, He created us, He loves us just the way we are, and His love will give you such a peace!

Next time I put on my jewelry that symbolizes a cross, I will think about the vertical part of the cross that represents my relationship with Him and the horizontal part of the cross that represents my relationship with others.