Dwell
*Disclaimer: this is an extremely disjointed, stream of consciousness blog that may not make a bit of sense to anyone who reads it. Don't expect to follow this train of thought...I think it derailed.
I've been told it's time to blog again. I think there are only two people who still read my blog, but that's ok, this is more a time to get my thoughts out than to really say anything to anyone, so I'm blogging again.
I was driving home from Starbucks just now, mulling over the talk I'd just had with my good friend Arshunda and trying to decide what to blog about. In that talk, I had mentioned a Caedmon's Call song called "You Created." The chorus says, "You created nothing that gives me more pleasure than you. And you won't give me something that gives me more pleasure than you." That's so not how my thinking has gone lately. I've been caught up in seeking something, a relationship, a place to plug in at church, a new adventure, whatever, just something because I haven't really been content with God. I've honestly just plain failed to let Him be my source of joy. It's the same old, same old I've got to wrap my head around. We have a God-shaped vacuum that we're all trying to fill with world-shaped stuff and it doesn't work. It never has. It never will. Only when we realize and really buy into the truth that God designed us with that vacuum and God intends to fill it with Himself, do we find joy.
Arshunda and I also talked about going on the offensive to combat the lies of the enemy and fight for that joy and abundance we're promised in Scripture. It's human nature to hole up and defend yourself...to put up your fences, your fists, and protect, protect, protect. But, going on the offensive involves dying to self. It calls for reckless abandonment of security and exposing yourself to the potential for hurt or even death. Paul says we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. Jesus told us to die to ourselves. Those things happen on the battle field. They happen as we shift our perspective from inward, focusing on me and my needs to outward, seeing the needs of others. So many of us are seeking to know God's individual plan for our lives, when God wants us to see His big picture plan for the world.
If we can die to self, if we can shift our focus, exchange our temporal perspectives for God's eternal one, then we won't mess around with worrying about who likes whom and why am I not being asked out? Forgiveness won't be such a chore. We won't stress over what so and so said to us at work or why our boss only manages to see our shortcomings and mistakes rather than praise our strengths and successes. We won't be so selfish with our time and insist on getting home in time for the game or our favorite TV show. Who cares? Does it really matter?
That same song I quoted above begins with this question: "Who is like unto the Lord our God who dwelleth on high, who dwelleth on high?" The answer is no one. The truth is that we seek to fulfill our lives with so many petty things and we dwell on the lack of fulfillment they bring. I suggest we move. Take up a new dwelling. Dwell. It's a weird word. It can mean where we live, like our house. It can mean to abide, hang out, stick around, just be. It can be figurative, like what we allow our mind to dwell upon. Philippians tells us to dwell upon things that are pure and lovely, etc. Paul says elsewhere that it's in Him that we "live and move and have our being." In other words, in Christ, we are to dwell. Christ Himself told His followers to abide (dwell) in Him. And so I ask, what are we doing with our time and where are we dwelling?
4 comments:
I think this is actually your best post ever. Thanks for sharing.
What does it mean to dwell? One could define it as the dictionary does...for myself, I prefer to make up definitions for things. It's much easier than trying to come up with something that everyone accepts ... everything being relative and all.
Being selfish with one's time isn't a bad thing, unless you've agreed that you'll do something else. I will insist however, that it does matter what game is on, depending on who's playing. Of course it matters, if I'm going to be happy / sad for the five minutes following the game, I'd rather be happy. Of course if I can blame someone for the loss, that makes it even more fun, but only if that person can handle the guilt associated with my team losing...and hopefully they're a big enough person that they can accept the blame, knowing I'll geel better about it...for certainly it has to be someone's fault, why not someone who had nothing to do with it?
God doesn't answer questions, just gives us the tools we need to accept what we understand as true.
I believe God does answer questions...just not always the way we expect or want. The Bible is full of such examples. As far as who's playing...well, I'm as big a fan as anyone, just ask my friends...but even they know that given the choice between the game or call of God...God wins.
so i was looking for this Caedmon's Call lyric on Google. I wanted to find if it came from a specific scripture, but instead I found and read your blog. I was thinking about this lyric and i'm just having a hard time buying it right now. My Christian life seems like such a chore. I feel like a failure for not having that "special someone". I guess that sounds pretty screwed up. I guess i'm pretty screwed up. The only thing I can think of now to do is to sell everything I have and become a monk. Is this what we should all do?
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