trust

"In the West, religion became preoccupied with telling people what to know more than how to know, telling them what to see more than how to see."

Richard Rohr

Think back over most of your ‘Christian education”. Is this true for you? Were you taught more what to know than how to know? More what to see than how to see? It was true for me.

When we tell others what they need to know about God, we take away their belief in their ability to hear from God themselves. They can become dependent on others to tell them what they should believe and how to live that belief out. I wonder how many times this leads to fanaticism at worse or lemming-like behavior at best.

When we are told what to see, we are robbed of the gift of discovery and wonder. We don’t even try to see….we just accept what we are told. Life in this mode is un-inspiring and predictable. Is it any wonder that some people walk away from a Christian life that has become more about right behaviors than about a dynamic, exciting relationship with the God of the universe?

When we teach people how to know and how to see, we trust that God will teach them, God will show them what He has for them….which, surprise, surprise, may not be what we think they need to know or need to see. Trust is deepened all around – us in trusting God’s movement in their lives and them trusting that God wants to communicate with them directly. It is like the saying, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”.

Give people the tools to discover and discern God’s movement and they will find the journey with Him dynamic, energetic and full of surprises.

Grace and peace ~
Deb

photo by edwardrodriguez http://www.flickr.com/photos/pureenergy25/2302615615/