1. Complicate, idealize, mystify, and obfuscate the concept of friendship with God, making it so abstract and placing it so far out of reach that it is completely unattainable, or attainable only by some imaginary, unreal, perfected projection of yourself that has nothing to do with your actual flesh-and-blood existence.
( "For indeed, it is not to angels that He gives His help, but to to people like us..." Hebrews 2:18)
2. Assume that knowing God is for every other person but you, and every other time but now--it's for later, after you've solved X or taken care of Y.
( "Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." Hebrews 4:7)
3. Avoid all risk and all adventure in your choices, your thinking and feeling, and your prayers--what if you get something wrong? Don't budge even an inch until you have absolute certainty, which includes knowing ahead of time all the potential implications and ramifications of every move, both inner and outer.
( "But My righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, My soul will have no pleasure in him." Hebrews 10:38)
4. When God comes to your remembrance at any given moment between or in the midst of tasks, rather than simply giving thanks for God's presence, or allowing yourself to feel whatever you are feeling in God's presence, use up that little gap of time by attempting to evaluate things between you, to repent of not thinking of God sooner and more frequently, and to assess and repair what may or may not be broken in your connection with God. Then become involved in the tasks at hand until you remember God again. Repeat process, ad infinitum.
("Better is one day in Your house than thousands elsewhere." Psalm 84:10)
5. When you are uneasy or unsettled for any reason, find some way to distract yourself, such as snacking, purchasing something, checking your email, etc., rather than experiencing the unsettledness in the context of companionship with God.
( See line from Psalm above.)
6. At all costs, avoid silence and solitude, since you must somehow address and deal with every thought or emotion that pops up when you are by yourself, rather than simply letting some of them go.
("Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me." Psalm 42:7
"My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him." Psalm 62:5
1 comment:
Oh, that 5th one smarts! Especially the snacking part.
Post a Comment