Spiritual formation is extremely important as disciples of Christ and part of the spiritual formation process is asking honest questions that we have no idea how to answer.
The first thing that must be realized is that God is not a God of questions; He is a God of answers. This does not mean that He will automatically answer all of our questions right off the bat, but if we seek Him we may find that sometimes He does lead us to the answers or the questions may simply disappear. It is not always a bad thing for a question to disappear. Maybe we find that the problem no longer matters in our life, or realize that God is much bigger than our question, and we let it go.
We must also realize that in order to find answers, we must live out the questions of our lives. This means that we cannot just ask the questions, but to seek out the answers in such a way that will lead to the solutions. However, to simply seek out an answer is not always enough, so living out the question is not to just find the answer, but to realize the truth in it. For example, if someone asks the question "Does God love me?" one may turn to the Gospels and find John 3:16. To read the words "For God so loved the world..." obviously suggests that God loves everyone, but that may not be enough. For the person to realize the truth in the answer, they must live out the question in order to have a unique experience with the love of God. This may manifest itself through baptism (which is always a very personal commitment), or even helping others. The answer to the question being lived out in a persons' life leads to an experience where they may wholly understand the underlying truth.
It is always very important to remember that the start of all answers is God Himself. It is good to talk to others, but all wisdom comes from God, and God must be sought out while others may be secondary support. Think of it like God is the coach of your life, and others are like the cheerleaders. One would not ask the cheerleaders for play advice before they ask the coach.
Primarily, as disciples we must meet God in various ways to seek out a healthy relationship with Him. We must also bring our troubles and questions to Him, and He will walk with us to the answers, or the questions and problems may simply just fade. Either way, our life is not just about finding answers to our questions, it is about growing close to God, and to make disciples of all nations, just as we were made disciples ourselves.
We may seek God in nature, in solitude, in loving others, and in so many other ways, but the effort must be made. It is important to realize that without God we are lost, and we may not find Him if we do not spiritually discipline ourselves. We are in the dark without God, with only our questions to keep us company.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Good. You've brought out some good points.
ReplyDeleteWhat if the cheerleaders had access to the playbook? Then could you ask them?
Sure! The cheerleaders would probably be able to give good insight too! However, they are confined by the fact that they can only advise based on what the playbook says. Unlike the cheerleaders, the coach, who wrote the playbook, knows the players and the game inside and out. He can advise and direct the players in the best possible way when no one else can.
ReplyDelete