June 22, 2011

Calculating God

Five steps to increasing your faith. Three ways to improve the way you witness. We all have the tendency to reduce God to a list of things to memorize or an action plan defined by specific steps. I like order in my life. I like organization, lists, and plans. I love my planner... probably too much. I need to know when, where, why, how, and who. I like math. I like that math is made of formulas and even if you don't understand "this is just the way it is." I have never like English; too many exceptions. I definitely cannot spell either; too many special exceptions to words! Unfortunately this mindset has a tendency of carrying over to the way I view the gospel... even Christ. When I read the Bible, I like to break it down and reduce it to mere lists I can memorize and carry with me for the rest of my day.

Recently, I have been have this feeling that something was missing from my spiritual walk. I refused to believe I had just become so desensitized to the gospel that it didn't move me any longer. Even among the empathy, I had this desire deep down inside for something more. I am still not quite sure what. But I knew I needed something... anything. I would pray to God to give me a desire, a purpose, a goal. It was then that I realized my problem. Knowing facts about God is not the same as knowing God.

Christ is more then theology. And even greater, God will not exclude someone from his grace because they have the incorrect theological checklist.


I think about when I was in Haiti and remember what I felt like to feel God... I mean really feel Him to the point where I would look up expecting God to be in front of me. In a world so fast-pace, driven by instant gratification, it is hard to remember that knowing God is about having a relationship. Reading the Bible is more then just highlighting the verses that "speak" to you and then writing them down in a journal. The Bible is a story about a God who desires to have a relationship with us.

I am challenging myself to start reading the Bible as a story written for me. It is hard not fall back into the habit of simply reading and listing. But I truly believe that if everyone would just sit down and read the Bible as a TRUE story, we would all begin to feel the power of Christ move a little more in our lives everyday.

4 comments:

  1. I love you so much!!!! :) Loved reading this. Right on. You know I'm a math lover too.

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  2. That's awesome Julia! I've been a little drained lately, too. Definitely needed to be reminded of this.

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  3. Thanks guys :) I just hope it was encouraging to you as it was too me. I am glad I finally had time to just sit down and spill some of my thoughts out!

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