Where does God live? Have you ever tried to solve this mystery? We love a good mystery as long as we find out the answer. I am pretty sure that most of us would rather be disappointed in the end of a book or a movie rather than not know the ending at all. Soap Operas and TV dramas are famous for stringing us along week to week because of the power of wanting to know the outcome of a story (mystery).

Where does God live? Is he up in heaven? Where exactly is heaven? Is he everywhere? How is that remotely possible? Does he live in everyone and everything? Our feeble attempts to answer these questions have gone as far as to birth different world religions and different Christian denominations. To unravel this mystery theologians have created fancy words like transcendence (God is beyond perception/other worldly) and immanence (God is an integral part of our existence). 

So, sorry to disappoint you but the point of this blog is not to solve the mystery and answer the question "Where does God live?" Let's instead explore the more important question, "How do we relate to God?" 

Do you relate to God like he lives way up there somewhere (eyes looking toward the sky) and you're just hoping that he sees and hears you? Do you relate to God like he lives in a church building and you need to go visit him? Do you relate to God like you need to ask him to come visit you?  I can look back at my life and recognize there were times that I would have answered 'yes' to each of these questions.

My 'Worship is Life' journey has helped me shift my focus from asking, "Where does God live in relation to me?" to "Where am I living in relation to him?" Now, someone could argue that the answer to this question is just as mysterious as the first and I wouldn't disagree. However, I have found that this shift in focus has had a significant impact on how I relate to God. 

For example, I used to look at God's commands as a list of do's and don'ts which caused me to relate to God based on my performance. Now I see that every one of God's commands are in the context of how to do relationship; relationship with God and others. 

Likewise, I used to look at sin as this evil force in the world and ambiguous blob that hangs over my life. Now I see sin for what it is; offending relationship with God and others because I am focused on myself. 

At face value these shifts in perspective may seem simple but I cannot overstate the profound impact they have had in my relationship with God and others. The best way I can explain it is that there has been a growing increase in my relating to God all throughout the day which has led to an increase of the evidence of his presence. This has led to an increased awareness of everyone around me and how I interact with them: family, friends, coworkers, strangers, etc. 

Because life is all about relationship. Worship equals relationship. Worship is life. How are you relating to God?