The Over thinkers Guide to Following God
Psalm 139:7-10
Where shall I go from Your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there your hand shall lead me,
And your right hand shall hold me.”
The idea for this blog came to me from a well known movie of a similar title. The movie held a premise of an exhaustive guide that held the secrets of the galaxy for the user to safely navigate in an effortless and pain free way. The reality was the main character had no safety from the scenarios that arose one after the other and was as safe and pain free as a hostage situation. Similarly the title of this blog will seem to boast a great many things but will not stop the user from experiencing a life of sitcom drama with new plots lived out as well as the incessant, intrusive, and annoying scenarios made up in the mind of its readers (and writer if completely transparent).
At the core of this blog is the reality that we have desires that would seem to be contradictory to what God would seem to want. Examples of pastoring a church, leading a worship, giving all to the poor and living a life of poverty spring to mind as the typical Christian life. And this may be absolutely true for some as it was for the people highlighted in the Bible. But what about the rest of us? Is it feasible to have a world of only pastors, administrators, deacons, apostles, worship singers, nursery attendants, missionaries, etc? Who will build the roads? Who will stock the shelves? Who will clean the pipes and drains? Who will lead in cooking and baking? What I am proposing is that if God created us then maybe the desires inside aren’t at all contradictory when cultivated in the right heart.
Maybe as the reader you want to follow God and to do right by being able to change the world but you also want money in the bank, you want successful relationships, you want a successful career and purpose to life. You want to have a fulfilled life that has joy and not only joy but the ability to persevere in difficulties and help lead others to obtain those same things.
I believe intrinsically we know that difficulties will come but are staggered or discouraged when we feel unable to rise to them or surmount them. We became discouraged because of our inability and so we try again and fail again (in our minds) to rise to the occasion so we begin to lose heart. If successful we still worry about the things we have as if there is an invisible goal that is always just outside our reach that forbids us from letting go of restraint and feel joy in what we obtained so we can celebrate with those around us. Maybe we even take those blessings of success and misuse them and instead of coming to ruin, we continue to find success but with small parts of us dying inside (as it were) with the riches of that life now poisoning our veins with every day that passes. Well, Good News! If this is you then welcome! It is possible and desirable of God to provide an abundant life that is filled with joy, perseverance in difficulties, valuable relationships built on trust, a healthy bank account, provision for the future, and a legacy that will give credit to God.
What I am attempting is to provide practical evidence to all of us that God gave His only son so that we may have life and life abundantly. If the gift is as good as the scriptures say than anything less than life and abundance should be considered less than what God would have for you. The point is that life will not look the same for everyone and it takes active participation in really defining what you want that life to look like, to detail out what your values are, asking God to help you refine them as you go, and asking that He open up scripture to help.
I love how Ecclesiastes states it:
“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil – this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” Ecc 5:18-20
Not your standard tool set
This blog, and indeed my belief, in part, is based on a quote I heard: “We eat the fish and leave the bones.” This resonated in my life because Scripture opened up to me what always happens with men and women through history, what God did through history to show how he was going to redeem mankind through His son, the coming of the redemption of our sins, and the culmination of history at the end of this age (To those who want to critique, read the Bible and find out for yourself). But how these truths came alive to me was seeing the patterns of failures in world history and in the individual lives around me that led to death and also seeing how successful tools and lessons learned outside of the Bible reflected what was already written in the Bible.
So many times in so many areas of life the new discoveries of nature, the human genome, space exploration, and among other fields of expertise caught up with the Bible in the truths it already proclaimed. This altogether was reinforced when ancient figures such as Thomas Jefferson reflected on Natural Law: the idea that if God created all things than there is a natural way of living and being that is intrinsic in all people as well as creation. While this was spoiled by sin, this did mean that to find success in life it could be discovered rather then ‘evolved.’
While these evidences will not be the focus they will be peppering the content throughout our time together. The point being that in application this blog will boast scripture with God being the focus, Jesus being the Savior, and the Holy Spirit guiding the way. (Or dragging. Yes that would also be an accurate synonym as well. Please do substitute either word when the moment dictates). Our reality at its core is designed (when in alignment of God) with intent to be purposeful in all aspects of it including family, marriage, and church but also science, philosophy, business, space exploration, TV Guide, sales, car maintenance, etc. (The villain being sin inside the hearts of every living breathing bag of bones and the reason for the ‘Why things go wrong” topic discussed in another blog).
That being the very reason this blog will also quote theologians AND secular individuals. It will be complicated and simple in its delivery as well as reception. It is intended to provide answers but also questions and could provide some insight or leave you completely bewildered. It will challenge you to make your own path and yet tell you your choice may be irrelevant dependent on the circumstances and your heart in the matter. You and I will be reminded we aren’t the center of the universe and yet we are more valuable than any creature in creation. It will be objective in truth as well as subjective in opinions and thoughts. All in all it may do poorly what better men have attempted to do in the effort to help the individual find a sense of their bearing in life, a foundation to stand on, a direction to head, and a community to help along the way. Its goal is to not only provide a biblical foundation but key applicable tools that help obtain successful relationships, healthy finances, and a sense of inner peace. It is part of my journey to help anyone I can make a new day out of every morning as if every morning made you brand new.
“But this I call to mind,
And therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases:
His mercies never come to an end:
They are new every morning:
Great is your faithfulness.”
Lam 3:21-23 ESV
This attempt will acknowledge an over thinkers struggle to convey a single days experience to another person when knowing the impossibility of the task is submerged in a pool of ideas, thoughts, and emotions all scrambling to sink each other and sit upon the raft of victory over the remaining wreckages. Add to that the over thinkers completely non-existent ability to read peoples minds, predict every scenario, or foresee all possibilities, we find the barrier between connecting who one is and conveyance of that information to another person remains as impenetrable as a Stephen Hawking manual on the Guide to Romance.
It is a big job but this isn’t a step by step guide that will take 12 weeks and be done. It will have simple values and support that are to be cultivated and applied over and over again with a community that shares the pain of incessant doubts. Each person will need encouragement to continue each day in earnest knowing the end result will be seeing the desires of our hearts obtained. It requires a lot of time, prayer, effort, and community. But all in all aren’t those the most important treasures we have? Would it be of more value if this blog solved everything and left you on your own? One of our desires is to know we are not alone in our struggles and not alone in our endeavors to build a rich and abundant life.
Like all moments in life, I end this with supplication to God to bless any who read this. That, through my attempt to gather the culmination of revelations He has given me through the years, you would be blessed with your own. And all in the true blessing of knowing it was not I that blessed you but God who wished to give through me because He is the one that wants freedom to be real in your life. He wants you to know that an abundant life is His desire for you. The end result could be financial freedom or extravagant trips. It could be spending more time and money on family. It could be paying for the meals, groceries, or even just a coffee for strangers because of the joy He has given you. It could be the chance to leave all behind to start a church, serve the poor, or build a house any time you want. It could be using your own business that funds a non profit or feeds the poor. It could be turning your contractor business into one for God. In the end I feel there are so many creative ways to serve God.
A Final Thought
I used to work at a restaurant when I was young. The food was great and we got the meals half off at the end of the night. Life was good at that time for its simplicity. Later in life I learned the importance of sitting down with your family to share the days troubles and to bond by sharing a meal. When I thought about how a restauranteur could build the Kingdom of God here on earth He gave me the idea of offering free meals to employees on the condition they spend it together around a table. The cost would be higher in many ways but the memories and value to the individual could be priceless. At that age we had no idea what we wanted or where to go in life but I do know an act like that would have kept us out of the bars a few hours at the end of the night and thats worth its weight in gold alone. The question is would God have blessed this act beyond any measure for everyone involved? I believe the question is rhetorical when we look at Jesus’ life. This is the type of dream I live to see made real. This is just a possibility of what one person could do to live out an abundant life.