I feel like I have been exposed a lot lately to the sad fact that we limit the scope of our relationship with a “higher power” by basing it on man (and/or woman). I heard a sermon not too long ago about the story of the golden calf. For those who haven’t heard of it, it can be found in Exodus 32. As a synopsis, the story tells of Moses ascending a mountain to receive the infamous Ten Commandments from God and in the meantime, the Israelites lost hope and therefore forced the next in command to construct an idol or another god for them to worship. The lesson taught in the sermon was about how we set ourselves up for failure because we base our faith on another man and when that man leaves, fails, or otherwise disappoints us, our hope and faith follows suit.
Why do we formulate our ideas about God based on the actions (or inactions) of man? I’ve heard some say that if God truly loves us, why is this world the way it is and if He doesn’t love us, then why should I care what He has to say? It actually saddens m best ai porn e that we take this stance (including myself). It saddens me because we are missing the mark. It bothers me because we allow others to have such a huge influence over us, suffer the consequences of it, and then blame God for letting it all happen. It’s hurtful to us and it’s hurtful to others. Certainly, this can expand into a multitude of tangents such as cognitive behavior, what goes around comes around, and even cosmic fate and manifest destiny. These tangents however would distract from my point: man is not God and therefore should not be used as the deciding factor in our search for His truth.
I say “His truth” as a general concept. It is meant to represent our personal understanding of God. Notably, we all have different understandings of God. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that we all have a unique understanding and experience of God. I must return to a point I am sure I have made many times already in my writings: if we want to know about someone, why do we go to others instead of ask them directly? In reiterating this question, I realize that there are actually good answers:
Trust – do we think we will get the honest answer?
Knowledge – do we know who to ask?
Ability – Can we ask?
Articulation – What do we ask and how do we ask it?
Availability – When do we ask, is there a certain protocol?
The uncertainties in life cause us to want to know and understand more, naturally. The problem is not the question, nor is it the answer. It is, rather, where we go for the answers. “OK,” I can imagine someone thinking, “so if in this situation we don’t feel like we can go to God and you are saying we shouldn’t go to man, then where do we go?” This very question is the question that drives the seeker. My immediate answer would be, “Go to God directly,” based on my own personal experience. Is this not the mission of Christians around the world? The very mission that Christ calls believers to is to direct others to Him. The interesting thing is that I say this not because it is a religious command, but because that is the best answer I know from experience. My experience in “going to God” with my problems, my burdens, my trials in life is that He sets us free. Yes He will answer us honestly. Yes He is the one to ask. Yes we can ask Him whenever we want to. There is no specific way to talk to Him other than honestly. But who am I that you should believe what I am saying and who are you to tell me I am wrong? Likewise, who am I to say you are wrong for your views? If we focus on those elements, then we distract from the point altogether. I feel as though we let our hang-ups in our relationships with fellow humans affect our relationship with God. We understand that it is unfair to hold the actions of one person against someone else (such as treating your current spouse in a manner that reflects how you were treated in a previous marriage), then why do we do it with God? Maybe we served a god in the past that did not meet up to our expectations. Maybe the one true God doesn’t meet up to your expectations. Herein lies the conundrum: how do we seek out a God we are not sure even exists and why should we?
I have met many people in various stages of their journey in regards to their relationship with God. I am always excited to hear how they got to where they are now. Like meeting a fellow traveler on the Appalachian Trail, stories are shared, advice may be given, etc. but there is always an opportunity to learn. In what I have gathered, the biggest stumbling block in one’s relationship with God is other people. I have yet to meet someone say that they woke up one day and stopped believing or that God told them to turn away from Him and stop following Him (maybe I have not met enough people in the world). I have heard, however, of and from others who have seemingly “fallen out of faith,” or “fallen away from the church.” This is a result of their relationship with other people. Maybe it was an entire congregation of church staff. Maybe it was a spiritual mentor who betrayed someone’s trust. For the longest time, it didn’t make sense to me how a person or group of people could negatively affect someone’s relationship with God. It would be akin to saying that someone at work ruined my relationship with my dad. Then I started thinking about the other side, people helping someone increase their faith. We have growth groups, church congregations, seminars, VBS, weekend retreats, the list is endless. The common denominator: a person or persons.