I wonder often–what would happen if we’d just get out of the way? – Tim Stevens
I’ve been asking this question for days, weeks, months, years. Honestly, what could/would happen? It has been a topic I’ve prayed about, studied, written and spoken about. It has rooted itself very deep in my life. So much so that my testimony is wrapped completely around this philosophy.
So, without lengthening this post with my entire life story, I’ll just state that it has mostly to do with my realization that Christianity is (read: should be) simple. If we truly believe what the Bible says, and surrender wholly to the Holy Spirit, then everything else becomes secondary. We don’t really have to work that hard. I get it, that’s an idealist view. As I’ve written here before, I’m an idealist through and through. Every time I’m challenged on this, I convince myself that I’m just being naive and stray towards cynical. Until I read God’s word and am reminded about having a child-like faith. And then, the world seems right again. For me, at least.
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 18:1-4
Last week, I ran across a link to a TED Talk by Adora Svitak, a child prodigy who shares my thinking (how comfortable am I in using a child as a reference? See above). Here’s part of her bio from the TED site.
Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs “childish” thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids’ big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups’ willingness to learn from children as much as to teach.
Then, this morning, I see Tim Stevens, one of my ministry muses right now, ask the following in a post on his blog:
I wonder often–what would happen if we’d just get out of the way?
There is so much I can relate this to right now: My role on the Leadership Team at our church; My role as husband and father; My desire to attend seminary; My feeling that God is calling me something so much bigger than I could ever dream and having no clue what it looks like; Something God has placed on my heart for this Fall. What has my answer looked like recently? Plan the heck out of it. Make it comfortable for me and those around me. Take God’s vision and implement it myself. Let me speak from experience when I say – THIS DOESN’T WORK!
We do so much to protect ourselves from ourselves (does this sound familiar to the 2 or 3 that read this blog?) that we try to box God in, understand Him and make His plan “work” in our small view of the world.
Stay tuned for my continued ramblings on this from the standpoint of love, unity, faith and culture. Hopefully we can learn from each other how God has really made things relatively simple for us.
As Tim asks, what would happen if we just got out of the way?