Wedding ceremonies and Christmas sermons have one thing in common – most of those in attendance have heard it all before. I think it’s important for us to be reminded of things we’ve known a while, but I also love it when the minister reads something very familiar and makes observations or applications I hadn’t thought of or heard. That happened twice this weekend, once at a wedding and then again in a sermon this morning. Great job Jon & Steve.
One of the things you hear at a wedding is how often the writers of Scripture use marriage illustrations to describe our relationship with God. If you want a deep discussion on those, read elsewhere. I was thinking about one of those the other day, specifically about how our propensity for self-protection can negatively affect our relationship with God and with our spouse. If the driving force in either of those relationships is our comfort, we’re setting ourselves up for frustration.
For whatever reason, there is a reluctance to give ourselves fully to our spouse. Even though we’ve been told, read books, sought counsel, something within us resists this vulnerability. We fear that if we give we will somehow loose, be taken advantage of, not get our needs met. This causes us to operate from a place of self-protection. Our interpretation of the extent to which our spouse invests in us becomes our barometer for giving to them. We become hesitant making the first move towards difficult conversations or selfless acts even though we know we should. Not only is this incredibly frustrating and exhausting, it keeps us from experiencing the depth of intimacy and connection we long for. Sometimes this approach is justified. It is understandable for a wounded or neglected spouse to disengage. But why do we do this with God?
Why do we assume a similar posture with Him? Why are we afraid to engage, trust, commit, and obey?
Take the plunge.
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will find it. Luke 9:24 (NLT)
Clavin's lore 