The church is full of insecure people who have a misunderstanding of who God is. I don’t blame them. I mean, we believe in an invisible deity who doesn’t seem to participate all that much in our lives. We want to believe he does but there’s just something that remains over us that brings about just enough disbelief.
It breeds just enough doubt.
Maybe the problem doesn’t lie within our interpretation of God but rather lies in our cultural need for expedience. Today we can travel across the world in minutes through technology such as the internet and cell phones. We have text messaging which offers the option of immediate reply. We watch movies and if something doesn’t blow up in the first sixteen seconds we grow bored.
We want it fast. We want it right. We want it now.
So when God doesn’t tear open the sky for us when we feel the need for him most, we lose faith.
We grow tired.
We become weak.
God can be characterized as a lot of things. To some he becomes a father or a brother or a friend, depending on who you were hurt the most by. He is the face of love, he is just, and he offers freedom to everyone.
What most people overlook about God is his role as a storyteller. He is the master storyteller and the thing about a story is this: nothing worth having is given freely.
When we were young we were warned not to touch a hot stove. Some parents explained to their children why; whereas other wonderful parents just expected their children to trust them. Children are curious no matter what age. The only way a child is going to know and comprehend in full that a stove will burn them and cause pain is if they touch it themselves.
I’m not saying that God is holding our hands over a hot oven but that doesn’t mean he won’t stop us from getting burned.
Why do we insist that God should take our problems away from us? What do we gain from his interference?
The moment we stop growing and maturing is the same moment our souls begin to die. It’s a slow process with symptoms of unhealthy apathy and a twisted sense of right and wrong.
Every good storyteller understands good structure. Early on in a story, conflict is implemented. Without it a story isn’t worth being told.
Without conflict why are we alive? Conflict is a necessary part of life we have to experience, otherwise we’d stay the same. If you live without ever being challenged are you capable of having strength?
What good is a man who has never had the chance to stand up for himself?
What good is a man who doesn’t know how to cope with pain?
What good is a man who has found no purpose?
A part of me feels that perhaps God wrote us into existence to invite us on a journey. It’s an opportunity to prove that we weren’t an accident or a mistake. It’s a chance to make a difference in the world.
We are meant to take on the attributes of God that inspire others. I don’t think a single human being can capture every aspect of God which is what makes us human. Maybe that’s what the Bible means about us being the body. Each individual person has a different way of reaching those around them. We have different skill sets, talents, and things we’re great at.
We have different means to inspire but what we all have in common is that our lives tell a story. Stories take time to tell. Not everything happens right away.
Behaviors and abilities need time to be learned. Good stories don’t happen overnight. So why do we treat God as a genie, expecting him to grant our three wishes?
If God is telling a story with our lives why don’t we be patient and allow that story to unfold?
Maybe that loneliness you’re feeling is going to help you cherish the time spent with those you care most about. Maybe one day you’ll be able to peel the weights from your shoulders and finally feel what it’s like to soar in blissful freedom.
I can speculate all day and quite frankly I’ll continue to do so. My story is one of observation and action. I’m always looking for another adventure, physically, emotionally or spiritually. Sometimes all of the above!
If you watch those around you, you might learn something. We are creatures that wear many masks and each mask hides a different fear and insecurity. An event occurred that changed your life forever that you felt the need to hide from your pain by covering it up. It became too hard to look in the mirror because your story was filled with too much drama, conflict, and hurt to handle.
So you tried to stop the story. Put it on hold until something magically saved you. The only problem is magical fixes don’t happen at the drop of a hat.
You can close your eyes and wish for the pain to go away all you want but nothing will happen.
I know for me, this is a selfish request. There is nothing in this world powerful enough to kill my spirit which allows for me growth and a sense of honor.
Life is about the choices we make. Who we are is determined by the challenges we are faced with day in and day out.
Life, like story, is full of these seemingly random moments that do not appear to connect in any way shape or form. It is not until later down the road that we realize every moment had its purpose.
Every moment has a reason.
Nothing in our life is without purpose. These stories…our stories are building toward something.
God has called all of us, in a general sense, to reach those who are lost yet that’s not all there is to life. Every individual has their own, very specific reason for living and we are constantly searching for it no matter how much it evades our grasp.
But what happens when we discover our reason for living? What happens when it all begins to come together in a perfectly serendipitous fashion?
It’s simple really…our stories spark life and we become this unstoppable force powered by the will and determination to live. Those seemingly random moments allow for us to be truly reborn as humanities greatest strength.
A man driven by purpose is one who will bow to insecurity and inspire those around him.
