I am a fan of Donald Miller the writer, or at least a few of his books. I especially like Blue Like Jazz, To Own a Dragon [now titled Father Fiction], and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Donald Miller as a person I like a little less so. Mainly this is because he sometimes acts like an expert in certain areas of life that he doesn't seem to excel at in his own life. But in truth, the same could probably be said of myself. That said I do still follow him on Facebook.
The reason I still do follow Donald is because sometimes Donald will post something very profound. I am still trying to decide if this is one of those times or not. At first glance I agree with the statement, but the more I think about it I'm not sure. Now, if it was worded like so, "If your spirituality gives you guilt and shame, it's based in lies' I could completely get behind it. I do believe that the point of spirituality, whether it be my own brand [Christianity] or any other brand [Buddhist, Judaism, Islamic, etc.] is nothing if it is not meant to set us free. We have quite enough shackles in our lives without adding to them with a shackle of spirituality.
So, if you are a follower of a spirituality/religious belief that attempts to bring you further down, please do yourself a favor and get rid of it, or at the very least reexamine it. I myself had to do that once upon a time, because the Jesus I was being sold wasn't the Jesus I was reading about. The Jesus that shows up in the black and white [and possibly red] in the Bible is a Jesus hellbent on setting captives free, giving sight to the blind, and declaring the year of the Lord's favor [Luke 4:18-19 via Isaiah 61:1-2]. This is not a Jesus that wants to grow our load, but rather one that wants to lighten it.
My beliefs do not give me guilt and shame, more so I would say that one of the benefits of it is that it attempts to take away my guilt and shame. But there is the rub, it attempts, and I stop it. You see I am full of guilt and shame, not because Jesus gives it to me and not because Jesus wants me to have it, but rather because I find it so hard to put it down and 'let it go'. That is not Jesus' fault, it lies squarely at my feet, in my hands, on my heart, and stuck down deep in my brain.
Perhaps Donald Miller would say that my spirituality is failing me, but I would say that I am failing my spirituality. Which, if I'm honest, is the way it normally works. I try to lift high the name of Jesus but then people, including myself, realize that I am the one lifting high the name of Jesus and they begin to question that name. Now I am forgiven for my sins and set free to be a new creation, but the old soul still clings to me sometimes, the old man doesn't want to let go.
I'm trying a little more each day to give him his walking papers, but I'm not there yet. But, with Jesus' help I'll get there.
Peace and Love,
Pastor K
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