From Employee to Child - Trading Rules for Relationship

There's a subtle shift that can happen in our walk with God, one that's easy to miss but quietly changes everything.

We start our journey in wonder and dependence, but somewhere along the way, faith can begin to feel like a job. We clock in through morning devotions, try to meet performance goals of prayer and service, and submit reports in the form of "good behavior." It's not that these practices are wrong. They're good and even necessary but without intimacy, they can become hollow rituals.

Paul warns us about this in Colossians 2:16-23. He reminds the church not to get caught up in the rules, rituals, and appearances that look spiritual but can actually disconnect us from Christ Himself. Faith isn't meant to be a system to maintain, it's a relationship to abide in.

From Boss to Father

When we see God as a CEO or our boss, faith can feel like a job description. We worry about the "dress code" of spiritual life, showing up on time, aligning our personal goals with His vision statement, and checking off our tasks from a spiritual calendar. We measure our worth by our performance. Our prayers can sound like progress reports. Our conversations can sound like careful water-cooler talks we hope won't land us in trouble. We study the handbook, strive to avoid mistakes, and measure success by how well we appear to follow the rules. Everything is procedural, efficient, and professional... but often distant.

Now imagine God as a Father instead. Picture a loving dad holding the hand of his six-year-old. Teaching, laughing, guiding, and protecting. He's helping the child down the slide at the park, feeding them from the grill, cheering for them at the game, building them up with tender care. The child doesn't need to have everything figured out or "perform" to earn love. They simply delight in being near him.

The Father delights in the child's presence, not their productivity.

When the dad comes home from work, the child runs to him, eyes wide with excitement, not fully understanding all he does. Only knowing that he's strong, good, and full of love. Sunday service becomes like an awards ceremony for the Father - a celebration of who He is and what He's done. Faith becomes less about meeting a quota and more about joining a relationship overflowing with joy, awe, and trust.

Held Together by Christ

Paul reminds us that all the external rules - "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!" - may have the appearance of wisdom, but they lack the power to transform the heart. True life, real transformation, comes from Christ Himself, the Head who holds the whole body together.

When our faith moves from rules to relationship, from CEO to Father, something sacred happens - the spiritual life stops feeling like a job description and starts feeling like a homecoming.

Heart Check - Are You Clocking In or Coming Home?

As you reflect this week, ask yourself:

• Do I relate to God more like an employee trying to earn approval, or a child resting in His love?
• Are my prayers more like performance reports or personal conversations?
• Where might Jesus be inviting me to trade performance for playful, trusting presence?

Practice This Week - Move from Rules to Relationship

• Pause: Before prayer or Scripture, take a deep breath and simply acknowledge God as Father.
• Reflect: Ask, "Am I doing this to earn something, or to connect with Someone?"
• Rest: End your day not with a report, but with gratitude - like a child safe in the Father's arms.

Closing Reflection - The Father's Invitation

When we finally stop striving and start resting in the Father's love, the noise of spiritual performance begins to quiet. What once felt like duty becomes delight.

Perhaps His invitation to you today is simple: "Come sit with Me." No agenda. No checklist. Just presence.

Faith begins here... not in our doing, but in our being.

Closing Prayer

Father,

Thank You for reminding us that You are not a boss waiting for our performance reports. You are a loving Father inviting us into relationship. We confess how easily we slip into striving, trying to earn what You've already given freely through Jesus. 

Help us to see You not through the lens of duty but of delight. Teach us to walk beside You like a child holding their father's hand... trusting, learning, laughing, and resting in Your presence. Where our hearts have grown rigid with rules, soften them with Your grace. Where we've chased approval, remind us that we are already fully known and deeply loved. Draw us back into childlike wonder - to the awe, the laughter, and the joy of simply being Yours. 

May our faith no longer feel like clocking in, but like coming home.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, 'Abba, Father.' - Galatians 4:6