Day 67 - Spiritual swimmies
Scripture focus: I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. Psalm 131:1-2
Big hearted people aren't better believers; they don't have a secret stash of spiritual steroids. First and foremost, they are people who have made the decision to believe. Secondly, their search has brought them to some truths that act like spiritual "swimmies" when the seas get rough along the way.
My children never wanted to wear life jackets in the water- but they loved "swimmies." "Swimmies" are those plastic things you slide on their little arms, blow up and hope they work. Intended to assist them in the floating process, they come brightly colored and logo-enhanced. Meredith had pink ones plastered with bikini-Barbies; Scott loved his green Power Ranger ones; Michael wore whatever leftovers we could find! I suppose we shouldn't have been shocked when Michael, being the adventurous third born child, put on his "swimmies" unsupervised and headed for the deep end of the pool. With a loud shout of "Cowabunga" he raised his arms and jumped into the water with all the confidence of a two year old trained to believe that "swimmies" keep you safe. As soon as his skinny arms and under-filled "swimmies" hit the water, they came flying off and he sunk like a rock to the bottom of the pool. Fascinated, Meredith and I ran over to water's edge and peered down. Scott was the one who decided that action was required; he jumped in and pulled his little brother to safety.
One essential "swimmy" that big hearted people grab hold of is beautifully articulated in the Ryan's devotional book, Rooted In God's Love.
"When we protest God's absence, we are expressing our deep longing for closeness with God. When God seems silent, we learn again how much we need to hear God's voice. When God seems distant, we realize afresh our strong desire to experience God's presence. As a result of spiritual distress, our hearts may become better prepared to hear and receive from God. It is often in the furnace of spiritual distress that purity of heart is formed. " Dale and Juanita Ryan, Rooted In God's Love, p.71.
The spiritually hardy make a decision to believe and then practice the discipline of belief as often as possible. When faced with the seeming absence of God, they pause to prepare and realize that it's pretty awesome that they noticed the difference. When God appears silent, they remember that this has happened before - it doesn't mean he's gone. When God seems distant, it reminds them of how cool it is when He feels near. Spiritual distress isn't comfortable, but it is survivable. And for the spiritually decided - it can actually become a virtual boot camp experience for the heart.
I pray that we will take this information and allow it to support our search for significance, acceptance, and freedom. May it sustain us as we find our way back to God.
Recommended reading: Numbers 7 and 8; Mark 13 and Psalm 49 in the evening
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