“God made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure.”
Eric Liddell (from the film Chariots of Fire)
I think one of the most pernicious lies we come to believe as adults is that God only delights in us when we do obviously spiritual things. It’s a strange sort of inner Gnosticism, a little heresy we all secretly cultivate, that tells us that God is only interested in our most godly moments and interests.
Because of this secret little heresy we all carry, we tend to separate our lives into parts: the family part, the work part, the recreation part, and over there…that’s the God-part. Church, our Christian friends, our overtly-Christian reading, our prayers both public and private, our moments of unexpected evangelizing…those all belong in the God-part. He probably isn’t interested in the other stuff, right?
My proposal this week has been that the things we love are gateways to the heart of God. Why? Because when we explore the things that touch our own hearts, we come to understand a little more about why and how God made us. Handcrafted, specific, intimately detailed. And each time we delight in something we love, the One Who Made Us is deeply delighted, too.
It’s in the poetic stuff, like savoring Creation (both the vast and the detailed), building relationships with people of all viewpoints and perspectives, and exploring our own gifts, talents, and dreams. But it’s also in the silly, seemingly meaningless things. A shared laugh over a stupid joke. A non-gourmet meal that tastes SO good. Puzzling over the wild, sacredly profane questions little children ask. Daydreaming. Getting a song stuck in your head from decades ago. Finding a free treasure on the side of the road or at a garage sale. Anything that makes you catch your breath and say, “YES!”
To believe that God only cares about your most righteous moments is to believe a lie, a little pet heresy that we all need to abandon. What He wants is to draw close to your heart, and for you to draw close to His heart in return.
Follow your delight. It will lead you to His.
For some beautiful examples of others in this community following their delight straight to the heart of God, I invite you to read the discussion thread from yesterday! Such lovely responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!
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All good things come from God. This includes the overtly spiritual things like Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving, works of mercy, etc; it also includes a warm summer day, spring rain, doing a good job at work, appreciating a good meal, laughing at a good joke. God is in all of it. Looking for God in all of these things--looking for God in *all things*-- is the beginning of making everything we do a prayer.
I like when you say "Savoring Creation (both the vast and the detailed)". It's a reminder that even in a big, beautiful Cathedral, a craftsman took the effort to carve a little artistic notch on a column in the back row. We can appreciate the big picture and the details within it--just as God does.
Good and thoughtful post, thank you!
Blessedly true! It is all God, and we just don't see it - the hot bath, the stupid squirrels, chocolate, sneezing - wonderful piece!