god is love. love is real.
i dont really know how to start this one.
but im gonna give it a go, and if you all think it sucks, it wont really matter to me that much.
im just gonna throw a bunch of questions out there, and see what happens.
when people say things like "i hope the lord will break your hardened heart, so he can work fully in your life, etc etc."
do they actually think that because they want him to, 'god' (whoever they are refering to) is gonna do that heart breaking thing?
do people think of god as a being who watches us from above and once in a while pushes a button that affects how hard my heart is? i wonder if we dont put more expectations on god than emphasis?
if we try to let 'gods will' take away our responsibility to actually do anything?
if we over interpret what the bible says and make these expectations and ideas for god to carry out for us?
is most of what christian people say to each other just feel good church talk?
or does talking about god like hes gonna hit your chest with a baseball bat actually make sense to some people?
but im gonna give it a go, and if you all think it sucks, it wont really matter to me that much.
im just gonna throw a bunch of questions out there, and see what happens.
when people say things like "i hope the lord will break your hardened heart, so he can work fully in your life, etc etc."
do they actually think that because they want him to, 'god' (whoever they are refering to) is gonna do that heart breaking thing?
do people think of god as a being who watches us from above and once in a while pushes a button that affects how hard my heart is? i wonder if we dont put more expectations on god than emphasis?
if we try to let 'gods will' take away our responsibility to actually do anything?
if we over interpret what the bible says and make these expectations and ideas for god to carry out for us?
is most of what christian people say to each other just feel good church talk?
or does talking about god like hes gonna hit your chest with a baseball bat actually make sense to some people?
posted by kristofher at 9:35 PM
5 Comments:
Good questions Kris. I don't know the answers, well maybe some of them - I'm pretty good at that church talk stuff sometimes. I do know this - I'm terrified of the idea of God actually coming down and "breaking my hard heart" - that is a scary thing to think about - and I mean mine - I'm not talking about you. I might have said that in the past but that was stupid if I did. I think it's an example of how we sometimes say stuff without really thinking about what it means. Good questions.
i like the expectations vs emphasis on God, question...
i think you are right kris...in general human beings are really good at trying to decrease their own accountability and responsibility for themselves and i don't think being in a relationship with God is any exception to that quite honestly...we are flawed, there is no question about that, and that is why we need God in our lives..but i get the feeling that too often we use that as an excuse to sit back and wait for things to change in our lives b/c we are too lazy and proud to take responsibility for the messes we have made...and i'm not saying this b/c i have overcome this inate trait but b/c i know i am guilty of it...that being said though, we must be careful to still allow God to work in our lives and not discount the strength he can support us with while we attempt to make those changes.
in regards to one of those other questions: i don't think that 'feel good church talk' is all bad..if there is a sincere heart behind it...i do think though that there also needs to be a balance between that talk and the tough love kind of talk that challenges one another when we are too weak to challenge ourselves...sort of like what you are doing here i guess.
i don't know if that made sense either..but i tried
kris, i really think you need to turn your life over to jabez right now...before it's too late. he will smite you with the smite of the smoten...
i'll write something serious later, but right now, i don't have time. thanks for making me think though.
oh kris i am so afraid for your soul.
just kidding.
i've thought about that before and i agree with tim.. people sing stuff about God breaking their heart or like "do what you must do, to make me a seeeervant..." as if they actually want a 2x4 to the ribs...
tim also just wrote on his blog about consequences because he eats too much candy and plays computer games too much. i think our hearts and consciences work the same way. the decisions i make today about how to spend my time and energy are going to affect and determine my priorities and values in the future... but i still feel some pull beyond my own will. somehow a seed was planted in my head early on in life that would never let me be satisfied with the life of a typical canadian consumer. and even when i buried it under years of self-serving and self-seeking, it stayed there and quietly pulled at me. but maybe that feeling was just too many frozen burritos.. i ate a lot of those.
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