If you've been reading any of my recent posts (see "All We Need is...") you'll remember that the subtitle of this book is "Turning From Judgment to the Love of God". Gregory Boyd, the author, has spent many pages so far explaining how far we have fallen from God's perfect ideal for us. He also goes into a lot of detail discussing just exactly what lay at the heart of the Original Sin (see Genesis 2-3). You see, it wasn't just called the Tree of the Knowledge of Evil that stood in the middle of Eden. It was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Ever since that day, every single one of us humans have eaten from that fruit...every time we measure anyone...even ourselves by any measuring stick other than measuring by the Love of God.
With this sin (known as "The Fall" of mankind), came not only evil into this world, but also a sort of veil (interestingly, it consists of the exact same letters as evil!). We are told in I Corinthians 13 that we now see as if we're looking into a dim mirror. I've made numerous references on this blog to things such as "The glory of God is man fully alive" (Sara Groves song line) and Brennan Manning's observation that perhaps the greatest dichotomy in the church today is not between liberal and conservative, pro-life or pro-choice, but rather those that are awake and those that are asleep. Have you ever experienced the feeling of 'scales falling from your eyes', 'the clouds parting' and everything making sense? That's what I'm talking about. I've even said that it feels like I'm being re-wired...which is basically what He is doing.
And this week, I read the following and one more piece of the puzzle fell into place:
"It's important to notice that the serpent didn't promise Eve something she didn't already have. This too is an aspect of all that blocks love and thus constitutes sin. The serpent promised Eve that she could be "like God." Yet she and Adam were already made in the very image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27). The craftiness of the serpent is found in his cunning ability to make Eve think she had to become what she in fact already was. How else could he tempt a person who already had all she would ever need? The serpent convinced Eve that her life had to be found in doing rather than simple being. He convinced her to break fellowship with God in order to possess the very thing God had already given her for free: her being "the image and likeness of God."
"Had Eve remained in union with God, had she rejected the Accuser's lie about God, the serpent's promise that she could become like God would have been utterly vacuous. She would have remained in the peace of knowing that she already reflected God's image and was full because of the unsurpassable worth God continually poured into her. Going beyond the "No Trespassing' sign would not have seemed desirable to her.
"Only when she accepted the lie and forgot who she was did the promise of becoming like God take on any significance. Rejecting the truth that she was already in God's likeness, she blocked out the love that made her in his likeness. Then, instead of living life out of the fullness of who she already was, dependent upon God, Eve chose to try to become in God's likeness by acting out of her emptiness, independent of God. Her life, and the life of her descendants, would from that time on consist of futilely chasing what God had always intended to give us for free." (bold words, my emphasis)
It's lengthy, I know, but what I don't want you to miss is just a few lines up...the "fullness of who she already was (a being verb)" she gave up because she "chose to try to become" (to try is an action verb).
Could we agree that this pretty much sums up our culture? Just take a look around you...everyone striving to become. I even think of kids. When they are just "being" (sleeping, eating, reading, playing, working) there is peace, contentment, even joy. But when they start "doing"...grasping at something that will fill a void (power or being the "top dog"; greediness or lack of sharing; territorial possession or "that's mine" syndrome) that's when fighting, jealousy, and general nastiness ensue. Are we really anything more than just grown up kids?
And here's what my experience has taught me: In the past, when I was involved in too many things to count at church...they were good things and probably ministered to others. But when someone needed something "extra" from me (childcare, a meal, a listening friend, a need to give up "my" time) I dreaded it...even resented it at times because I had nothing left to give. I was too busy doing.
Then a few years ago, I felt led by the Holy Spirit to give almost everything up and to just start "being" His child. Those weren't my exact thoughts, but I know now that's what He was leading me to. My life may actually look like it's pretty boring to most. I'm sure it appears that I don't do much...I've even been told before that I'm a gifted person not using my gifts. But just this week I've had two opportunities to do rather than be (and both good things!)...a nursing home visit where we would have sung Christmas Carols and a chance to serve at Lifeline last night. But I felt led to pull out of both of these because it had already been an overwhelmingly busy week. I knew I could proceed and feel overtaxed, stressed and yet, still feel a sense of accomplishment in having served. But who has God asked me to be? Who is He leading me to become?
He's led me to a place where He wants me to be focused on single moms and their families and often that is a form of service that I can't schedule or plan. Over the last couple of weeks, that's meant some impromptu forms of service for which I wouldn't have the mental or physical energy if I was too busy "doing" these other good things.
Enough rambling! Maybe I just wanted to remind you (or more importantly, Holy Spirit wants to remind you!) that during this season...probably the busiest season of the year...in the midst of all of your doing...take some time to slow down and ask Him whom He already created you to be!
Mentioned in this post:
No comments:
Post a Comment