Yes, yes, I know. You thought I'd returned to the hills of
I, like all new fathers, have the best, cutest, more adorable, and obviously the most intelligent baby ever to grace the shores of our fair Earth. One thing I never imagined before becoming a father is the pure joy that a smile from my daughter can bring. When I look over the edge of the crib and she breaks into this great big smile and wiggles her legs and arms in happiness simply because I am there - well wow! That smile and the look on her face touch my heart and soul in ways I never experienced before.
So what does the smile of my wonderful daughter have to do with the spiritual thoughts I try to share on this blog. Well one day I was thinking about how my daughter makes me feel and I wonder if we have this same capacity to bring joy to God.
However this question presupposes a relationship/a connection/an interaction between a person and God - between me and God. The connection I have with my daughter is so vibrant and meaningful and I must confess that currently it outweighs the experience of God that I have from day to day. So does that mean because I don't have an emotional response to God's presence in my life that it is somehow less vibrant, less meaningful? Does God still experience a joy from His relationship with me if I don't feel anything?
Well you can see this whole train of thought has led me to questions about the role of feelings in the truth of God and one's own spiritual life. For many people there is a significant lack of personal emotive experiences that come from connecting or trying to connect with God. And yes of course we all tell ourselves and hear from the "experts" that it’s important not to rely on feelings when it comes to our relationship with Christ.
That may be very true, and we might truly believe it, but when you don't have an emotional experience from your relationship with God for long periods of time - it becomes increasingly difficult to spend time and energy on that relationships. We may wish this not to be true, we may tell ourselves that we can trust the truth of God over our feelings, but in reality it is a struggle.
So what is the clever conclusion? What is the little platitude of truth to be delivered that will help everyone with this little problem?
Sorry - there is none. Rather only a confession of reality. It’s very easy for me to spend time and energy on my daughter because of the great joy she brings me; and it can be very difficult to do the same with my relationship with God because there isn't always the same reward. And this is where patience, commitment, and perseverance come in.
Really there isn't anything new being said in this post - rather a plea to remain honest! Be honest and share the joy and excitement of having a significant experience of God's presence, comfort, and guidance in you life when you experience it. But in the same vein be honest and share the struggle; drudgery; excuses to avoid your Bible, church, and prayer; and downright boredom you experience at times in your relationship with God.
One of the biggest things we need to do is rid dishonesty from the church and Christian life. We need to learn to share the good, the bad, and the ugly.
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