It's actually been the better part of a week since I've blogged. I really started thinking about why that is. I've decided it just overall laziness. In regards to most things, I tend toward laziness.
I would love to be a virtuoso musician...but not quite enough to practice. I think being a much-read blogger would be neat-o...and would take a lot of thought and time on the PC. It would rock to have abs of steel...but that takes discipline and time in the gym. Winning the next Pulitzer prize would rock...but books don't write themselves.
If you read my "About Me" or my profile, you'll see that I say:
My interests range from movies to construction, from comic books to religion, and from relationships to technology.
I find people to be very interesting.
People are about that the only thing that holds my attention for very long. I do love to read, but even that comes back to people, though they may be fictitious.
I guess that explains why I was a pastor for a dozen years or more. I didn't do it for the fun trips, because I loved playing football with the youth, or the money (haha!), I did it because it was about relationship. Growing up, everyone always came to my house. My house was where everyone got together. As a kid, my friends usually spent the night at my house, and I was the one that usually threw the plans together when groups of us would go out.
"Religion" as a whole has been boring to me for several years. However, Jesus as a person (not to mention Saviour), and my relationship with Him still fascinates me. My pastor finished a series a couple of weeks ago about relationship. One of the main points of his last message was cautioning us to be wary, and to not let our relationship with Jesus devolve into religion.
He said something along this line:
I have a one year devotional Bible that I started this year...it's May 11th...and I am on January 3rd...and I'm okay with that. Because the health of my relationship with Jesus is not determined by whether or not I do my "daily reading".
(Hopefully I didn't put words in his mouth, but that's what I brought away.)
You mean I don't have to jump through a series of religious hoops for Jesus to love me? So when the Bible says that God is love, it means it? Wow!
It's funny...I had spent a pretty good amount of time beating myself up because I didn't conform to the "religious standards" of the type of church that I attended. And here is my pastor telling me that he's like me! Double wow!! I've never been the most disciplined in prayer, or Bible reading. I tend to say goofy, un-spiritual things. I don't always think to pray first in every situation. And I don't witness to every person I meet. What a failure!
Am I saying that a real spiritual walk with Christ requires no discipline? Uh...no. And for those that have a very "disciplined" Christian walk, more power to you! However, I will say that I've met some pretty mean Christians that had a great "devotional life". My friend Jeff made that his second point in his blog about "Why Are Christians Mean?" a few days back.
All cynicism aside, I feel like the discipline required to eat right and lose 100 lbs is, to me, a different type of discipline than what is required to walk in a healthy relationship with someone. Whether that person is your spouse, friend, co-workers, family member, or Jesus. I don't really know how to quantify the differences and to put words to the intangibles that are involved in relationships, but in my heart, there is a difference.
I guess the one is all about my actions, the other is all about my heart.
I may have to post on this again...when I know better what I am trying to say...and when I'm not feeling quite as lazy.
;)
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