No substitute.

We love substitutes.

Diet Coke instead of regular. Texting instead of calling. A side salad instead of french fries, which is always a good choice if you're trying to eat right. But then comes another substitution. Instead of actually exercising and doing sit-ups, we prefer to invent new ways to get fit, such as strapping an electric belt that painfully shocks us with high voltage pulses--all so we can look like this: Ab Belt. What a cute couple. I prefer the Wii.

I certainly do it. I try to find shortcuts, time-savers, and ways to get the same end result--without actually going through some of the pain in the process. Ask my roommates. Video games, naps, and cramming were often substituted for studying responsibly. But I promise, I don't procrastinate anymore. :)

But there are certain things that can't be substituted for. For example, HyVee generic brand "Honey O's" don't satisfy my craving for Honey Nut Cheerios...not even for the two dollar difference. But seriously, a parent can't substitute a toy for spending quality time with their kids. A stuffed animal doesn't replace the feeling of missing home after a family moves to a new state. Not even a kind word substitutes for a loss of a family member.

How many people would say, "Oh, Mike and I are practically best friends. We hang out when there's a group gathering, I talk about him a lot to my friends that know Mike, I write about Mike on my blog...heck, I even sing songs about Mike! Mike and I don't ever talk alone or one-on-one...I kind of feel weird approaching Mike by myself. I never know what to say, and sometimes I don't know if Mike's actually listening to me. But yeah, Mike and I are best friends." I would hope that doesn't describe your best friends' relationship with you.

Then why do we do that with Jesus?

Replace Mike with Jesus in the passage. I don't know if that hits home for you, but I know that for the longest time, that was my attitude. I figured I could go to church, go to Bible study, talk about Him with others, and sing songs about him without ever actually consistently talking with Jesus. And I wonder why my faith suffers after going a week without having one-on-one time with God...

Try as I might, I can't quite seem to find an effective substitute, a quick-fix of sorts, for it. If there is one thing that I have been learning the past several months, it is this: there is no substitute for spending regular, personal time with God. Not just time with God during church, not just time w/God listening to Chris Tomlin or David Crowder Band, not just time w/God reading Guideposts or watching episodes of Touched By An Angel, and not even just spending time with God as you marvel at His creation...on the golf course with three of your friends.

Just like any other relationship, if it's one that you really want to improve...you spend time with God daily. The time doesn't have to be majestic or prepared, nor do you have to "have things together" or know the right prayers to spend time with Him. Just come as you are. Is every interaction between husband and wife, between two friends, or between a child and their parent majestic, prepared, or perfectly worded? Of course not.

So stop trying to do the same with God. If it helps, this image (though goofy/ridiculous/corny) helped me to think about how I can approach God:

It's Black Friday and the mall, containing seemingly millions of people, is bustling. There are people everywhere, and claustrophobia begins to set in. But then I see the seat. A single seat, in the middle of the food court, at a table separated from the craziness of life. There's a man sitting across the table, though, and as I stare harder, I realize it's Jesus. I'm unsure of what to talk about, what he'll say when I sit down, or even if he'll let me have the seat. I haven't talked to him in awhile. The desire for a respite in this packed mall drives me to the chair. I quietly ask my friend if I can sit down, to which he smiles and nods. I kind of stutter and stammer for words as I stare at the floor, awkwardly asking what he would like to talk about it. I finally catch his gaze, and I see that he's smiling, looking right back at me. "I don't care," he says. "I'm just glad that you're here."

I hope that you read this, then decide that maybe it would be nice to spend some quiet time with Jesus. I pray that you start to really see God as your best friend. And my desire is that you begin to see our God the way He should be seen--ready to talk.