Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Life (06/15/06)
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TITLE: Turn Down the Noise! | Previous Challenge Entry
By Johanna Anderson
06/22/06 -
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After all, what is life? What are we doing here? Are we just marking time? Even for Christians, the answer to this question might not be as simple and straightforward as one might think.
We really like to keep busy. Careers, family, sports, shopping, vacations, juggling the children’s activities, redecorating the house—as long as it’s legal, moral, and ethical, if it will fill up the hours, we’ll do it. Chatter, the television, music, and the internet are all handy for making noise, because they keep us from having to deal with those three persnickety people who are, ultimately, the hardest ones to face—Me, Myself, and I. As the years go by, we seem to need an increasingly frenetic pace to continue to ignore the gnawing sense of emptiness.
It’s too bad, though, that when we numb ourselves from our insecurities, we also inevitably numb ourselves to God. We numb ourselves from the dreams God gives to those who earnestly seek him. We can’t avoid the pain of life without tragically losing the joy in the process.
Most Christians would probably agree that even though we might not want to deal with ourselves, we need to deal with God. The Bible says that he will be kept in perfect peace whose eyes are stayed on the Lord. We are told to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and to pray without ceasing.
Just how literally should one take these mandates from scripture? Surely Paul didn’t really mean that we should be in constant communion with Christ! Surely he couldn’t possibly have meant that we should really pray at all times and with all kinds of prayers! ALL times? Heavens to Betsy!
I believe that Paul literally meant these things when he said them.
We can water down the truth of scripture to rationalize and justify our lack of obedience. We are inclined to disobey, because obedience to Christ means facing the truth about ourselves. To draw near to God, we have to look into the mirror of our souls, even when it’s not a pretty sight.
To be able to find our identities in Christ’s love necessitates experiencing that love in the ongoing present. We can’t expect to experience the love of Christ if we aren’t walking with Christ, talking with Christ, and meditating on Christ and his holy word.
I love to think about Moses. He was a man who walked and talked with God. Exodus 33:11 says, “Moses talked with God face to face, as a man talks with a friend.” If Moses can have that kind of intimacy with God, we can, too! We might not have the burning bush, but the closeness is there for the asking. There’s nothing to prevent us from praying for it. The Bible says that we do not have because we do not ask.
If we seek to know God better, even as we are known, God isn’t going to say, “No, I don’t believe so…I’m saving that gift for somebody else.” God created us for deep communion with him, and he’s just waiting for us to ask for it.
I like the apostle John’s attitude. In his gospel, he identifies himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” How could there be a more elevated state of being than that of John, in which he formed his core identity around the fact that Jesus loved him? THAT’S what I want.
Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” As we realize more and more that our lives truly are hidden with Christ in God, we can experience more and more of what it is to really live. Of course, none of us ever will or can live perfectly. However, we far too easily accept the glass ceiling that tells us, “Don’t try to go any higher; it’s not ‘the done thing.’”
We can glide right through that glass ceiling by grace, through faith. Not only can we do it, it’s worth doing. But to be able to do it, we’ve got to be willing to get real honest with ourselves. We’ve got to face the insecurities from which we’ve been running full force. We’ve got to slow down a bit. And we’ve got to turn down the noise.
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Just one little nitpick: the "Heavens to Betsy!" didn't feel quite consistent with the article’s voice. The preceding paragraph was a nice buildup; perhaps there's an exclamation that fits the exhortive tone a bit better.
Your ending was excellent, full of layered meanings:
“And we’ve got to turn down the noise.” I always love a truly well-pondered meditation. Great stuff!