a few nights ago I had an interesting conversation with a friend about stuff of the Bible. We talked about Genesis- how its original audience could not have grasped the concept of the earth as a sphere or even have had a fraction of the knowledge we have about the planet/universe/galaxy etc, and how the explanation of the world being formed being so simple kind of makes sense in light of that. Also, the weightiness and significance of the words “In the beginning…” We also talked about the fact that when you explain the actual basis of the Christian faith, it sort of sounds crazy: someone died and was raised from the dead and we get to talk to and relate to and be together with God forever because of that. A lot of stuff in the Bible is sort of nutty, if you think about it: people being raised from the dead, being taken up to heaven in a cloud, seas being parted, people being swallowed by whales. It’s actually a pretty wacky set of things to believe in, if you think about it. Not that I don’t want to believe, but I just think its interesting when you start to view it from a certain perspective.
So, yeah, thinking about these aspects of my faith, I sat there on the floor of my living room, leaning on the futon, sort of milling things over. I kneeled down and started talking to God about things- just praying for my friends and family and all the things going on in everyone’s lives: the good, the bad, the confusing, the beautiful. And then I sat up and looked across from me, to the empty place I imagined God to be. And I got sort of frustrated for a bit, thinking how I just wished I would have been able to lean over and touch God and have him talk to me, look at me, explain things to me. I wondered why He has chosen to not take physical form and stay in physical form, why would He not be manifested in some way that we could relate to him more easily. And I know, the standard answer to this is that He is EVERYWHERE, in His creation, in nature, in laughter, in a hug between friends, blah blah blah. But still, I just felt a bit cheated for a second. Like, God, why can’t I just touch you?
Then… I had this thought: some wise people from throughout my life have taught me that we can’t force the people we love to be the way WE think they should be: we need to let them be who they are… that to love is to accept others where they are and how they are. And I thought about the fact that I love God. I love Him for how He has always been to me, for who He is… and He has chosen to show himself to me the way that He has, however metaphysical and strange it may seem to people outside of it. How can I ask God to be the way I think He should be? I can’t impose my expectations on God, since I love Him and want to love Him how he is.
Granted, God is God and I am so small comparatively, that to think that I could impose expectations on Him is pretty ridiculous. But I like to think He will humor me in thinking these thoughts and exploring these possibilities.
I am glad to be where I am with Him.
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“The humans live in time, but our Enemy (God) destines them to eternity. He therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself and to the point of time which they call the Present. For the present is the point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experience which our Enemy (God) has of reality as a whole; in it alone freedom and actuality are offered to them. He would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present- either meditating on their eternal union with or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure.” CS Lewis, "The Screwtape Letters"
“The humans live in time, but our Enemy (God) destines them to eternity. He therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself and to the point of time which they call the Present. For the present is the point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experience which our Enemy (God) has of reality as a whole; in it alone freedom and actuality are offered to them. He would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present- either meditating on their eternal union with or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure.” CS Lewis, "The Screwtape Letters"
3 comments:
I had a 3 week stay a few years ago in a local hospital and almost died 3 times. I had several evenings where I felt like Paul being lifted up the the third heaven. I felt very afraid and very close to God. I was like in a twi-light zone, and it seemed God took me through most of my life showing me some of my sins. I really repented. God seemed so close and real. I was in great fear. I doubted my salvation. Then I started reading my old Bible and looked up all the verses on salvation. My confidence slowly returned. This as a close time with God that was frightful, but now I am more confident, but a bit humbled, and more respectful.
Frank Ball
That's encouraging Frank B. It's encouraging to see the reassurance you were given as you read through scripture and the growing confidence that blossomed from that. God is so faithful.
Kristin,
For my own part I can say without reservation that I cannot believe the Bible on literal terms. For that matter, I surely do not think that it was written as such, which is confirmed by the vast majority of early Christian writings.
Christianity it believed because of the message of the cross and the resurrection. Thats the center of it. The other stuff speaksof it spiritually. My faith certainly doesn't hinge on Samson killing thousands of warriors with the jaw bone of an ass, and I would think it silly to believe such a thing as a literal occurance on its own merits of possibility. But I can assent easily enough to the idea that a collection of stories from different genres are all imbued with truth, however cryptic, that the mystical key of Christ and Him crucified unlocks. It's only when we start with Christ that we understand the importance of the various stories preceding him.
tata
-Ray
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