I'm currently in the middle of this book called "Searching For God Knows What" By Donald Miller. I've read a book by Don before titled "Blue Like Jazz" and I recommend it to everyone, its a good read. So when I finished that book I knew I liked his style of writing and saw that He had a few more books out, so I picked up the next one He's published since Blue Like Jazz.
On the back where you would expect to find a brief paragraph about the book you get just this: "What if the deepest longings of your heart were there for a reason? Small-minded, boxed-in formulas of modern religion weren't the truth? The gospel of Jesus was not 'safe' after all, but full of intrigue, passion - and romance? How would your life be changed?"
When I first read this I thought this doesn't apply to me, especially after the last couple of books I've read. I get that religion, the Church and Christianity itself have turned God into something smaller so we can put Him in a box of understanding, I get that and I see it. But I bought the book anyway because I liked the first one and just six chapters into it I'm so glad I went ahead and bought it.
I have a feeling this will end up being a long post but bear with me. The first chapter talked about how we've turned religion into lists and formulas and how-to books in order to suit us. Then in chapter two he compares God to Santa in the way people view him, a nice guy who comes around every so often. Then in chapter three Don actually tells God that he doesn't exist and then thinks about why in the world he did that. When he found out Santa wasn't real he felt no need to tell Santa that he didn't exist so why had he done so with God?
In chapter four Don sees how the Bible itself speaks the underlying language of people, emotions. He goes to a class where they are taught about Moses and the books he wrote, which include Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and most likely Job. He talks about the way Moses writes, factual and narrative for the majority of it but then randomly stops and writes poetry. He did this because of situations and emotions and words of straight description weren't enough, he started speaking the language we all know to be as our emotions. This takes Don aback because this isn't what he'd percieved the Bible to be at all. It had always seemed to be lists of dos followed by even more don'ts, but this was personal, relational, truth.
In chapters five and six He starts talking about Adam and Eve. He talks about how God created Adam and acknowledged the fact that there wasn't a counterpart to him, no one he could communicate with and completely relate to. But before creating Eve God had Adam name all the animals of land, air and sea. Do you know how many that could have been? That would have taken forever!!! God had Adam do it this way so when He gave him Eve he would have a deep respect and appreciation for her. For him to truely understand the need and know that there was that emptiness.
Which leads me to the first thing I started to think about.
Its kind of making sense why God did that, theres almost a pattern to it. God wanted Adam to fully appreciate the gift that Eve was to him. Had she been there the whole time He wouldn't have seen her as something to be prized or special. She was truely a gift to him.
Which on a side note helped me understand why women are supposed to be treated so differently. I always saw it as we couldn't do things for ourselves and we needed to be babied but really we are the completing piece to man. Now I don't think we are God's gift to every man and need to be treated like royalty but I now understand why guys should be gentlemen.
Anyway back to the pattern. God does this again with His Son. Had Jesus come to forgive Adam & Eve's sin right away it wouldn't be appreciated. Imagine how hard that might have been for God to do. To sit and wait it out knowing the whole time what needed to happen but knowing He had to wait and let us suffer a bit so we actually understood what He was saving us from. Then before that God had to endure the pain of leaving those He loved so dearly. Adam and Eve got to walk around and have conversations with God Himself. That right there should blow your mind! No one since then has ever been able to do that. I don't remember the story exactly but someone was shown the back of God, not His face, and were blinded. Think of the power! And they were with Him like it was nothing. And then it all had to be taken away because God could no longer be around them, because He can't be around anything that isn't good, pure and holy. :( Ouch.
So all of this was hitting me in a different light than it ever had before and it depresses me. I went to a Christian school for goodness sake! I've heard every story ten times! And never before had I seen it for what it is. How come I can't get this from the Bible on my own? Why am I being told that this is the Bible's true form through another book? When I read it it seems like a boring book with a couple of stories mixed in. How come I haven't been able to see this compassion, love, passion, suffering, heartache before?
I went to the source, I opened my Bible to Genesis chapter 2 & 3 and there it was, just as Don said. Actually half of those two chapters he wrote were word for word from the Bible. I read it and was able to see his conclusions plain as the day. They didn't need to be decoded for me. So my conclusion through all of this is that I need to stop reading about what the Bible says and have that impact me, I need to read the thing itself. Just imagine what a greater impact that could have on me! Well know that I know that I have to be held accountable to it and make things happen.
