My parents never missed out on a camping experience. I was raised the same way.  Hiking, tents, flashlights, bonfires, you name it…we know all about it. I still remember the first time I went camping. The night before, mom said: “do a checklist, it’s your first time camping and you will forget most of your things if you don’t.” I was so excited, I couldn’t even fall sleep that night.

So, I went down my list to make sure I didn’t forget anything: “sleeping bag, check; tent, check; flashlight, check.”  that’s when I learned that checklists are good.

Checklists are great!

Spiritual checklists, however, not so much.

You see, I was raised in church, and I must say that it has been an amazing ride. Most of the hymns, I know by heart, and I’ve memorized countless Bible verses from a very young age. I’m  third generation Christian, and if I ever have kids I’m pretty sure that they will follow in the same path.

I have always considered the fact of having been brought up in church a huge blessing. However, to be honest, sometimes I feel as if my spiritual life consists of “going down a checklist” for God.

I wake up, check; pray, check;  read my bible, check; go to church, check; give my tithe, check.

Sometimes it seems at times as if I have lost the true focus of my spiritual life.

Don’t get me wrong, these things are all good things to do.

However, God doesn’t work on a list of requirements system, where if I don’t fulfill each and every one of them I’ll get punish in some way.

God is more than that. God wants a relationship with us, but not by force.

Kissing routine goodbye!

If you have been in church long enough, then you are probably familiar with a common syndrome. A common syndrome that those of us who have been in church for a while tend to develop rather easily called routine.

Praying every morning when you wake up is a habit, because since you were little mom told you to do so. Praying before eating is a must, (seriously, you never know when you might catch some good old food poisoning). And well, you get the idea.

When we get stuck in a spiritual routine we easily fall into the habit of telling the same things to God day after day. Seriously, without a doubt God’s love for us must have no end. I would have already gotten bored of my own prayers!

The question is not simply whether we follow His commandments or not (whether we are able to put a check mark next to every item of our spiritual list) ,the issue at stake is the motive behind our actions.

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” – John 14:21.

Let’s not fall into the trap of doing what we do in order to “complete our checklist” and move on, but because we are aware of the need we have for Jesus in our lives and because we love Him.

Today, I’d like to invite you to develop a special relationship with Christ. I’d like to invite you to live an adventure with Him every day. Go ahead, experience Him like you never have before.

Allow Jesus to be the central part of each second of your life. You won’t regret it.