November 20
Scripture focus: You’re blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. Matthew 5:8 The MessageImpossible expectations god – expects a lot out of us, more than we can bear (excerpted from Soul Repair)
Finding our way back to God doesn’t mean that the second we reach our destination all our old hurts and baggage get taken away by a celestial bellhop – at least that didn’t happen for me. So it should come as no surprise to us that those of us who struggle with codependency might find ourselves becoming spiritually codependent.
Soul Repair talks extensively and beautifully about spiritual codependency. I hope you read the book! My own struggles with codependent spirituality led me to spend years living in a faith community and working as if somehow God is under-functioning and can hardly get onto his throne of grace each morning without my help! Doesn’t that sound crazy? Well, that’s because it was crazy!
I suspect that many of us live as if God expects a lot out of us, more than we can bear. We call this thing commitment or calling. Many people applaud the herculean efforts of those who work hard within the faith community.
God’s word on the subject calls this kind of thinking into question – making me wonder if this workaholic approach to faith might be an indicator that our inside world is topsy turvy.
In the book of John, we are told that the work of God is to believe in the one he has sent – without a peep about working our fingers to the bone in order to please a god of impossible expectations.
Jesus is reported to have invited all those who are weary and heavy-laden to come to him to find rest. In the world of codependent spirituality – rest is a four letter word. But there it is in print – Jesus uses a four letter word – rest.
I pray that we all find a little rest in a world that encourages us to rush.
Recommended reading: 2 Peter 1 - 3
2 comments:
Guilty, guilty, guilty of having false gods...I did not know this, and I have often felt that God is passive and emotionally distant leaving me to deal with all the problems of life! Impossible expectations...well, maybe that too, but not as far as being involved in church. I am most guilty of taking the Scripture literally because I believe it is the inspired Word of God. I have taken it ALL literally and Satan has gleefully held it over my head! No more, Thank GOd.
Now, what do we do with the Word that says "faith without works is dead?"
I guess we need to ask ourselves what our motivation is for doing good. We're not doing good works for more brownie points or to even earn God's favour (we can never ever do that no matter what we do!). This is something that I constantly remind myself of and remember that it is by faith we are saved :-)
When we do good things, it is out of gratefulness to God, not because we have to earn our way to heaven (just like in other religions).
Hope that helps :-)
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