Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
I have been a follower of Christ for 40 years and for the most part I have been very intentional about my relationship with Him. However, I haven’t always followed Him with wisdom. 
For what seems like a really long time my relationship with Him seemed more like me chasing Him than following Him. There is a big difference. Although chasing God sounds noble and spiritual, it is not biblical. I learned the hard way that chasing God doesn’t pay off in the long haul.
I have chased a lot of dreams and relationships and was able to catch some of them, but there are some that I was never able to actually catch.
Anytime we are chasing something, especially something big, there is a real sense that you may never quite get close enough to catch it. When it comes to God, that will instill in us a fear of falling short, not measuring up and missing Him.
When our relationship with God is based upon us as being the primary pursuers instead of the pursued, we will develop a desperation that comes from feeling that it’s our effort that leads to the relationship. We, not the Holy Spirit, become the primary keepers of the relationship. That is religion.
There is a responsibility from our end, but the empowerment and desire to pursue God and the things of the Spirit always comes from Him.
We pursue from a relationship, not for it. We are not trying to work into God’s good graces. Grace has positioned us to pursue out of desire, not desperation or fear we are missing something.
I love how Song of Solomon 1:4 puts it, “Draw me and I will run after you.” Jesus said, “No man can come to Him unless the Father draws Him.” (John 6:44) God always wants to lead the dance. He is the chaser, not us.
In my life, I discovered when I tried to lead the dance of life with God, I would also start spending a lot of effort and energy pursuing things the Lord never asked me to seek.
When we do this, we become exhausted emotionally and spiritually. We are left out of breath and don’t have the wherewithal to actually put our hands on the things He wants us to pursue.
That creates a lot of conflict in our conscience. We start feeling like a failure. We think we are going to miss God and miss out on something important. So, we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and start the whole cycle of insanity over again. Eventually, we will have a breakdown, something breaks in us.
Jesus said, “If we fall on Him we will be broken, but if He falls on us, we will be crushed to powder.” (Matt. 21:44)
I have witnessed a lot of people came to the breaking point. Some find God’s door is already wide open to them. Those are the ones who have fallen on Christ. I know others who grew lukewarm in their love for Him and a few who have even denied Him. Chasing God crushed the life out of them.
Following Christ is all about an authentic communion with a God who loves us beyond words can explain. Following Him is never about a fear driven desperate and disappointing attempt to do the right things in the hope we will somehow enjoy His Presence, blessings and favor upon our lives.
Jesus is inviting all of us to simply follow Him.
Many Blessings, BW