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Well, of course it's about my life and stuff I think about. Just like a quadzillionbazillion other bloggers. I'm obsessed with God. I love beauty, enjoy absurdity, dance with despair, seek silence, and think everyone is goofy. Here's my world and what I think of it....
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- Fr. Meletios Webber on Priesthood and Spiritual Fa...
- Orthograph #106 - Saving Souls or... ?
- Orthograph #105 - Signs From God
- My Kind of Politics
- Orthograph #104 - Gatherings
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14 comments:
HAHA!
This is so sad, but so true in reflecting the current atmosphere.
For complete accuracy, I think there should be a third axis labeled, "Closeness of divinely revealed direction with previously desired outcome." (The more God is telling you to do what you already want to do, the more likely it is to be delusion.) Sadly, from my experience, all the observable activity takes place at one end of that spectrum, leaving the other end quite theoretical.
It seems to me that growth and maturity (if I may use those words) as a Christian is being willing to "detox" from the false ideas of Almighty God and "His Will".
Fr. Sean, Exactomundo. I was wracking my brain to figure out a way to graph that "third axis". A fourth axis would be "narcissism"... in my experience,it is proportional to the degree someone is inclined to see signs or interpret events as God showing them directions for themselves and others.
Great graph. I must second (or now third) Father Sean.
This reflects what I heard growing up as an old Irish saying: "God created man in His image and man returned the complement."
F-A-I-T-H
F-a-i-t-h
f-a-i-t-h
faith
Wait a second, are you saying that not every event that happens on this planet should not be interpreted as God giving me a personal sign? Interesting concept.
Watching a recent protestant evangelical video, the presenter always talked about how "God was just laying upon her heart to just go over and just talk to a scantily clad girl about modesty and just not tempting others. God really just spoke to her." God just talks an awful lot to them folk...
oruaseht, I'm always tempted to say to folks like that, "God laid it on my heart to ask you, How come every time God speaks to YOUR heart He wants YOU to tell SOMEONE else what to do that just happens to line up with what YOU want them to do?"
oruaseht, you nailed it. Along the same lines as s-p notes, God "just" seems to be the very biggest and best hammer one can grab to pound one's own particular nail.
And you captured the lingo nicely. If "Valley Girl"-speak (now teenager-speak) beats the word "like" to within an inch of its expiration date, the modern "non-denominational" Christian does the same with "just." After a while, I "just" get lost in the constant repetition of the word. (I might claim that this was some kind of intentional hypnotic effort, but having lived in such circles for about a decade, I know it is "just" filler.)
I find that this is "just" one more reason to use written prayers . . . 'cause our egos will "just" use God for our own purposes (couched in Biblical language, of course) if given half a chance - even in prayer.
Chrys, you just said that just right.
Among the "first"s of my morning is reading your blog and comments. I am glad. It gives me my first smile and chuckle of the day - and, seriously, for me that is as important as my medication.
I'm really glad you are you s-p. Thanks be to God.
I mean, I'm 'just' sayin' is all.
:o)
It's ego and the sin of pride, along with other passions, that can delude someone into thinking they are getting a sign from God when they are not.
OTOH, after some prayer and contemplation, you might get a valid "sign from God" in the form of wise advice from your spiritual father. My own spiritual father told me that, at any given point, there might be several good paths that a person could choose that would all be blessed by God.
1389 - along the lines of multiple "paths": A teacher of mine once mentioned that most people think that finding the will of God is something like finding a needle in a haystack - that one "perfect" choice. This is magical thinking.
Our comportment and demeanor, our disposition and way of living, are what Christ defines as the Path. The particulars take care of themselves once we are on the right Path. Hence my teacher said: "God is concerned about the haystack, not the needle."
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