wondering how to respond/what to say ..
a blog-reader poses questions about wanting to get deeper with Jesus
wanting to fall-in, head first (belly flop would do too), and just sinking down through the 'living' water
down
down
always down
deeper ..
“you keep stepping on my toes and make me wonder why in the world Christ following is not as easy as you put it down here for the rest of the world to read. There seems to be a chasm with me trying to leap from one side to the other. So what is stopping me? Why can I not win the reach to the other side? ..
It is as though I am a dry sponge yearning to soak in truth and be truly free.”
and there you have it ..
the reader answered their own question
sorta
.. . . .
I don't have the answer
don't look here for the famous list you'll find on the christian net, '10 ways ..' or '8 things ..'
that's the western way to make you think someone has the answer, and maybe make a buck to boot
it's like someone asking 'how do I get so-and-so to notice me?', and buying a book or reading an article that posits flowers or chocolates or changing your hair colour ..
waste of time
if that's what it takes then you need another so-and-so .. move on
I don't have the answer
but maybe I can drop a couple thoughts and something might bite
. . . . ….. .
thought: someone asked recently about knowing God's will, and there was a big kick about that some years back, with the usual hype - books and sermons and seminars ..
thing is, we hardly 'know' God's will ahead of time, not often
only thing we can really know is God's will in-the-moment
as in “am I doing the right thing here?”/”is this what God wants of me in this situation”/”God .. how do I respond to this?”/”what do I say now?”
God's will is usually more found in-the-doing, in-the-speaking, in-that-listening-moment..
in the pursuit
communicating with God in the moment, listening for an answer as you move
the fact that you actually care what God wants of you is huge
so too, that you care about 'Christ following' and want so much to be there is huge
it says you care, you want
and God notices that big-time
the desire is half the game
as in the asker's use of the term 'yearning' – good word .. God hears that word
… . . . .
so there's the strong desire, “ a dry sponge yearning to soak in truth and be truly free”
and then there's the chase .. the unrelenting going-after, seeking
.. . . .
be talking to God, as you would to anyone else
in conversation
telling
listening
asking
conversing with God = 'prayer'
it speaks to your understanding that God is a person who communicates
and it tells God you want to relate
read Scripture
God had people write stuff, not only for the people of that day, but also for us today ..
the older Covenant mostly concerned Israel, and we use that today to learn what God was like and what Good was doing in those times
it also presupposes as well as proposes the Messiah, Jesus ..
and he shows up in person in the new Covenant
there we hear his words as he explains God and rebukes religion and encourages the downtrodden and calls-out demons and parables life ..
hang out with other chasers ..
that doesn't necessarily translate into 'church' .. too much of that today is socializing and posturing and funding
find people that actually work at it, looking to serve, to help, to encourage, to relieve the burdens of the oppressed and downtrodden, like Jesus did ..
'birds of a feather' kinda thing ..
and if you don't know where to find them, start doing on your own whenever you see an opportunity – feed that hungry person, give someone your jacket or a sleeping bag, help that older person with their bags, listen to the one that's broken and needs to vent and to be heard, volunteer at a soup kitchen .. .
… .. .. .
the desire
the chase
scriptures
engage in group
be an actor in the church Jesus meant to build
.. and never give up
.. . .
consider .. the day you actually arrive, 'win the reach to the other side' as the asker put it, then you're home, travel done, journey completed .. and no further need for faith and trust and perseverance and endurance and serving others ..
(a wise one said once, “these three remain for now: faith and hope and love; but the greatest of these is love”)
for now, there is following Jesus (= loving God and loving others) ..
and as the asker intimates, that is the issue in this life
go there
do that
with all your soul and mind and strength and heart
the chase never ends in this life
but the journey is absolutely unbeatable ..
it is a personal journey, and you are in, all in ...
it's the stuff of life-to-the-fullest
.. better known as 'eternal life'
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