Superstitious: Part 2

The one thing we definitely tend to get superstitious in our faith about is when things in life go wrong. And if things go wrong consecutively...oh my gosh...then we definitely read into every last detail to try figure out why!

We assume that if things go wrong, especially consecutively, then God must be trying to speak to us. "Something is probably not right in my life and I need to figure out how to fix it."

Why do we assume this?! Why is it our first reaction?!

We live healthy, prosperous lives where life is pretty good. And when we bump into a little trouble, we all of a sudden assume because life isn't easy sailing this week, like it was last week, then something must be wrong with our faith walk! God must be trying to talk to us!

Have you ever considered what this type of mentality says about people out there who live much tougher lives???? If a kid was born an orphan, got adopted by pedafiles, ran away from home only to live homeless for the rest of his life...what are we saying about him? That God is allowing that to happen to him because He's trying to speak to him about something that's wrong? OF COURSE NOT!! We would NEVER say that!! So then what's the difference?

Superstitious: Part 1

There definitely is enough talk about the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit, at least in Pentecostal circles, but I'd like to address this on another level. I think that Christians, and even Pentecostals, can get so focused on figuring God's will out and contemplating the meaning behind every event and passion and feeling in our lives that we actually begin to turn our faith into a superstition.

Sitting in Christian circles, conversations often lead to digging deeper into simple things in life. If anything happens, especially consecutive events, the conversation turns to: "What do you think it means?" Or if you communicate having a passion, the conversation turns to: "What is that passion for?" etc. etc. While these questions aren't negative in and of themselves (these are valid questions to ask in life)...I just think we ask these questions TOO OFTEN about TOO many things. Instead of just enjoying life and living in God's Hands, we try to figure EVERYTHING out, we try to find deeper meaning behind EVERY SINGLE ROCK.

We probably read meaning in many things that aren't meant to be read into. We probably give God credit for things He never intended. And we probably also, in the process, misdirect ourselves and often lead ourselves away from God's purpose, instead of toward them.

Don't you think we should leave some room in life for the Holy Spirit's spontaneity? (I'm not trying to promote the typical Penctecostal spontaneity here). I just think there are many times God just wants us to live, enjoy and be natural, to allow life to "simply be." When we do this we're actually letting go and giving God control of our circumstances and direction of our steps. Because, the truth is, when we work so hard to figure God out, what we're actually doing is trying take back control and put it in our own hands.

Caged Christian

In his book, "Wild Goose Chase," Mark Batterson hit the nail on the head concerning my spirituality and what I kept seeing all around me. I was a caged Christian. You could pretty much replace "he" in the following except with my name:

"I'll tell you exactly what he is lacking: spiritual adventure. His life was too easy, too predictable, and too comfortable. He kept all the commandments, but those commandments felt like a religious cage....Listen, not breaking the prohibitive commandments is right and good. But simply not breaking the prohibitive commandments isn't spiritually satifying. It leaves us feeling caged. And I honestly think that is where many of us find ourselves." (8)

My deep unrest and unfulfillment nagged at me constantly. I would communicate it but since what I communicated didn't "fit in the box," I wouldn't get good reception and people didn't know how to handle me. I didn't know how to put what I felt and what I knew about God together. They didn't fit. But I couldn't stop the nagging. I couldn't stop the cry in my heart. This book opened the door to see how God and what I felt actually belonged exactly together. That what I was feeling was actually exactly from God to do more, to live bigger, to create a faith within me that was big enough for God to fit in!

"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death."(171)

That is exactly what I was doing.