As a father of multiple kids, I forget at times that I treat my kids differently.
The way I interact and connect with my girls is unique. Rylee would love to just spend time building something with legos (or even organizing them). When I talk with her, often I’m “breaking things down” a bit more with her because she’s very analytical that way. Haylee on the other hand, is more the “runner and jumper” of the two. Most of the time, she’s more “matter of fact”. I can tell her this is why something is and she’s fine with it. When left to a daddy/daughter day Rylee would enjoy being home crafting something up or playing pretend, while Haylee would rather go somewhere. It’s these unique facets of their personalities I take into consideration when I’m with them.
In doing this, however, I’m still the same me. The virtues of attitude, behavior, and character that I seek to instill into my children everyday come from the same person. I don’t change who I am, though my approach will change with each child for maximum effectiveness, because I know what will reach them best. It can be hard at times, especially when “flip flopping” between both kids in the day to day activities of life, but it is worth it.
All of this has led me to think deeper about my relationship with God. Every soul out there is unique, and thus each soul’s relationship with the creator would be unique, especially when God is seeking to have that deep an intimite relationship with each one of us. I should clarify that I don’t believe that we each have an individual god. I firmly believe there is one God in the universe. Our relationship with Him though, is going to be different. The ways in which we speak, the ways in which He speaks to us, are going to be different. The trials and events in life are going to be different, and in each, God will reach us personally through them, since they speak to us effectively.
This is why it is important to gather with others, to see what their relationship is like with God. While each relationship is unique, there are still plenty of commonalities that we go through in which we can share, and grow, and gain perspective wtih. More importantly, as I’ve been discovering slowly, is that I should seek what my relationship is like with God. Books, and videos, and all sorts of things can be helpful, but ultimately I need to build my own relationship with God, because He knows how to speak to me in a way that will most effectively change my life.