Sometimes when I talk about the things God has done or is currently doing in my life, I get met with blank looks or simply a short sentence acknowledging what I said without taking it any farther. Almost like I've stepped over a line that most people choose to stay behind. But here's the thing, while I am being honest and vulnerable about where I am, I choose to do so for the purpose of bringing glory to God. Being vulnerable doesn't always come easily for me. Unfortunately, being open about struggles and triumphs in Christ feels like "too much" in many situations.
I'm not "oversharing."
Maybe I'm sharing more than is normal, but I'd conjecture that it should be normal to share that much. If God is working in our lives then we should be giving Him glory for those things. And He is indeed working in every life that is surrendered and trusting in Him, as He has promised throughout scripture.
I've grown up like this, but really I have only realized it recently. Lots of Christians really don't speak about their personal relationships with God very often. They don't talk about Him like they'd mention a friend. It's almost like God is someone you pray (talk) to, but bringing Him up in common conversation would be weird.
Really, if you have a close and deepening relationship with the Lord, speaking about it would be natural. Similar even to the way that you'd speak of a friend, a spouse or a child. You'd talk about the things they'd done or how they had made you feel loved or how they'd proven themselves to you.
God does all of those things for His children.
I love this quote from "Knowing God" by J. I. Packer, "Christians are His children, his own sons and daughters, his heirs. And the stress of the New Testament is not on the difficulty or danger of drawing near to the holy God, but on the boldness and confidence with which believers may approach him: a boldness that springs directly from a faith in Christ, and from the knowledge of his saving work."
A relationship with God is an intimate and real thing. Why don't we speak of it that way? I can only conclude that it's because many Christians feel that an openness such as this is "too much" or that they simply haven't pursued and experienced this level of closeness.
If you feel like you can't talk about God like a father, a dear friend, a creator and king, then I would ask you to examine why that's the case. We serve the same God. He is good to us all. To share the specifics of His goodness is to encourage one another, to unite us and remind us of His power and love. Please, Christians, start talking about God's work in your lives.
