From Puppy Love to Deep Faith: Growing a Stronger Relationship With Jesus

 

Have you ever been in love?

Most people probably would have answered “yes” without hesitation a decade ago. Yet in today's world, genuine connection can sometimes feel harder to find. Relationships require time, vulnerability, commitment, and a willingness to move beyond the surface.

The first stage of many relationships is what we often call “puppy love.” We usually associate puppy love with tweens and teenagers, but infatuation can happen at any age. It is that exciting stage when everything feels new.

You are captivated by the person, excited about the possibilities, and perhaps even imagining a future together before you truly know them. But what happens when we experience that same kind of excitement in our relationship with Jesus?

Can we fall in love with the idea of Jesus without developing a deep relationship with Him?That question made me reflect on my own relationship with Christ and how my faith has grown over the years.

I realized that there is a difference between being excited about Jesus and truly trusting Jesus.

There is a difference between knowing about Him and knowing Him.

There is a difference between being a fan of Jesus and becoming a faithful follower.

My relationship with Jesus has moved from what I would describe as “puppy love” toward a deeper, more genuine love—one that continues to grow deeper roots and develop a rock-solid trust in the Lord.
So come with me as I paint a picture of what weak spiritual roots can look like and what can happen when we begin growing deeper in our faith.

When Our Spiritual Roots Are Weak

Imagine sitting in church and hearing the Gospel message for the first time. The pastor explains that Jesus died for your sins and that through Him you can receive forgiveness and eternal life.

You fall in love with the idea of being forgiven.

You fall in love with the hope of heaven.

You respond to the altar call, make a public declaration of faith, and suddenly you find yourself surrounded by people celebrating your decision.

Strangers shake your hand and congratulate you. People welcome you into the body of Christ. You have never felt so accepted and loved. You get baptized. And then, somewhat anticlimactically, you go home. Your regular life is still waiting for you.

The bills are still due. Your co-workers haven't changed. Your family may still be difficult. Your circumstances may look exactly the same as they did before you walked down that church aisle.

But you have changed.

You are hopeful. You believe things can get better because you now know Jesus. You continue attending church on Sundays. You hear the Word, worship, volunteer occasionally, and experience the joy that comes from being around other believers.

This is your new life in Christ.

Years pass, and you slowly slip into a routine you don't even realize you've developed. You attend church on Sunday. You sing the songs. You support Christian causes. You may even volunteer on occasion.

But your personal relationship with Jesus hasn't really grown since the day you were baptized. You know about Jesus, but are you actually growing closer to Him?

Does this sound familiar?

The Danger of Shallow Faith

Jesus described something similar in the Parable of the Sower.

Matthew 13:5 says:

“Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.”

The excitement surrounding a new commitment to Christ can be wonderful. An emotional response to the Gospel is not a bad thing. In fact, there is something beautiful about discovering God's love and experiencing the joy of salvation.

The problem comes when emotion never develops into spiritual maturity. When our understanding of following Jesus remains shallow, our roots remain weak. When the excitement of our new commitment fades and the everyday trials of life hit hard, we may discover that we haven't developed the spiritual foundation necessary to stand.

Without deeper discipleship, we can easily return to old habits, old thought patterns, and old ways of living. That's when weak roots begin to show.

Weak spiritual roots can cause us to seek the world's advice before seeking God's wisdom.

Weak roots can cause us to compromise our convictions because we are afraid of what other people will think.

Weak roots can cause us to continue participating in environments and behaviors that don't align with our faith simply because everyone else is doing it.

Weak roots cause us to seek man's approval before God's approval.

The danger is that we can look like Christians on the outside while slowly drifting away from God on the inside. We can become more familiar with Christian culture than we are with Christ Himself and when this happens, we can find ourselves becoming fans of Jesus instead of followers.

How Do We Grow Deeper in Our Faith?

If we want our relationship with Jesus to mature beyond puppy love, we have to develop deeper roots. A seed doesn't become a strong tree simply because it was planted.
It must be watered.
It must receive nourishment.
It must develop roots.
Our faith works in a similar way. We nourish our relationship with God through prayer, Scripture, worship, obedience, and trust. We don't simply want to know that Jesus loves us.
We should have a desire to know His character, to understand His Word, and to recognize His voice.
We want to trust Him when life doesn't make sense, and most importantly, we want to become willing to follow Him.

Stronger Roots Through Trust and Obedience

Spiritual maturity requires us to surrender our will to God's will. When we begin to understand that God created us with purpose, we can become more willing to trust the plans He has for our lives.

That doesn't mean we will always understand what God is doing. In fact, sometimes trusting God requires us to move forward without understanding the entire picture.

It may look like Jesus calling you away from a relationship or job that seemed like a perfect fit.

It may look like God placing a desire in your heart to start something new when you don't yet have the resources to make it happen.

It may look like God asking you to wait for something He has promised while an opportunity that looks almost identical is sitting right in front of you.

This is where faith becomes more than a feeling. Will I trust God when I don't understand?

Will I obey Him when obedience is uncomfortable? Will I follow His direction when other people don't agree with me?

These moments test our faith and reveal the strength of our roots. When we trust God rather than leaning completely on our own understanding, our roots grow deeper.

Trusting God may feel uncomfortable. You may even wonder whether you're making the wrong decision. But sometimes, in the middle of uncertainty, God gives us a peace that doesn't make sense to the people around us.

Just like a seed growing roots underground you may not be able to see what God is doing behind the scenes, but you can choose to trust that He is working.

Faith requires us to trust God even when we cannot yet see the outcome.

As our faith grows, we begin to understand that following God isn't about getting everything we want. It is about trusting the One who knows what is best for us.

Jesus Is Our Rock

Jesus gives us a powerful picture of spiritual stability in Matthew 7:24–25:

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (NIV)

He compares those who hear His words and put them into practice to a wise man who builds his house on the rock. When the rain falls, the rivers rise, and the winds beat against the house, it remains standing because its foundation is secure. Jesus is the rock.

When we obey His commands, we are building our lives on a solid foundation. We are not leaning solely on our own understanding; we are trusting Jesus to lead us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

This strengthens our faith and deepens our roots. Each storm we endure matures us spiritually which builds a rock-solid trust in the Lord that He will bring us out of it and then we can share how He brought us through it with others. No experience is wasted. Our testimony will help to strengthen someone else going through the exact trial we just came out of, and another testimony will help us. There is purpose in every trial.

Simple Habits That Build Faith

1. Pray. Talk to God often. It takes faith to pray and believe that God is listening. The more you do it, the more faith you are building. 
2. Read scripture daily. God speaks to us through scripture. Reading scripture is our daily bread. The Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths.
3. Meditate on the goodness of God. Gratitude is powerful. Regardless of what we go through there is always something to be thankful for so meditate on the things you do have rather than focusing on what you don’t. Meditation changes your perspective.
4. Praise. Listen to worship music. Sing along. Writing, drawing, painting, creating for God can be an act of praise. Take time to praise the Lord. There is fullness of joy in the presence of the Lord. 
5. Obedience. Ultimately, you must trust God and obey. Ask Him to guide you and obey what He says. Acts of obedience grows strong roots.

In closing, our spiritual roots may start out weak, but consistency with God strengthens our roots of faith. Praying, reading scripture, meditating on God's goodness, praising the Lord, and continuing to obey God are all ways we can build faith in the Lord. Thank you for joining me in this reflection. Remember continued obedience builds a rock-solid trust in the Lord that will stand firm through the trials of life.  

🕯️ Continue Your Journey

🌿 Feeling discouraged? Read How to Stay Positive When Life Gets Hard ❤️ Struggling with your identity? Read What the Bible Says About Who You Really Are 🙏 Seeking more peace?

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