I continue to start writing things for this blog, but then
seem to get stuck and stop. I have a few different saved drafts of things I
wanted to write about. But, somehow, when I went to write, I just didn’t have
the passion behind my words that I wanted. This topic, however, really stirred
my heart last night.
I grew up in the church. I was raised as a Christian and I’ve
never really known a life without the knowledge of Christ. I’m always
fascinated by the stories of people who became Christians later in life; I love
hearing about what it was that captured their attention enough to motivate them
to change. There is something so refreshing about genuine change in someone’s
life. And as I reflected on that idea, I was convicted.
I know all of the lingo and the right things to say. Believe
me, I can hold my own in a battle of Christian euphemisms. But, who really
cares about that? I’m pretty sure God doesn’t, in addition to all of the people
in my life who are skeptical of my beliefs. I know all about God. I’m familiar
with the things the Bible says and I’ve sang the songs until they’ve lost all
meaning. In the past, I’ve often tried to tell people about this God. I’ve
reported my knowledge to others as if giving a book report. It’s like telling
someone about the autobiography of some famous person in history…some famous
dead person. If all I’m doing is regurgitating facts, there is no life in that.
There’s no power. And, it’s surely not life changing. In fact, I think it’s often
become annoying to people. Not surprisingly, people weren’t very interested in what
I had to say, and I lost courage. I became timid and embarrassed to share my
beliefs for the fear that I would offend someone, or worse, be rejected.
Then, something occurred to me. People aren’t interested
in hearing about the God of the Bible; they’re interested in hearing about the
God of my heart. If I would stop and think about who I truly, honestly believe
God to be, I would be changed. I would be passionate and excited. People are interested
in authenticity. Being genuine with others is captivating for them. When people
are vulnerable and transparent with their heart, others can’t help but stop to
listen. So, I’m praying that I would once again begin to discover God—not the
God of the Bible, but the God of the here and now. I want to rediscover the God
of my life today, so that I can authentically tell others about who God is. He’s
not in the past; he’s still changing and redeeming people, especially me.
