Last night I was discussing civil religion with a group from our faith community. We shared ideas on how easy it is for religious acts to be something we do as a part of a rhythm of our life without these acts actually bringing life. We identified a difference between acts of our faith and a life of faith – the former separating the sacred and secular, the latter seeing all things as sacred.
One person made the comment that I’ve heard many times before. Here’s the gist of the comment: “It’s too easy in the country we live in. If we live somewhere where persecution happens we would take our faith more seriously.” I’ve thought the same before, however, those comments struck me differently last night, as coming out of a place of fear.
As I’ve grown in my own faith understanding and experience of Jesus I’ve realized it is not defined by fear but by an ever-deepening understanding and experience of the love, presence, and beauty of God. Perhaps what is missing is not persecution, but an experience of the beauty of God.
We then began to discuss what takes us away from experiencing the goodness and beauty of God. We listed a variety of things: work, family, kids, riding bike or other hobbies. These were things distracting us from God.
I grew up thinking this way – putting God was in this box. I experienced an understanding of God and faith that revolved around my religious duties. My spirituality was based on how much time I spent going down my prayer list (that I was supposed to have created). I felt guilty about not doing this long enough or more frequently and consistently. I allowed the overwhelming guilt of sin to condemn, shame, and lead me to question God’s love for me. God was only found when I did my religious duties or led an above board moral life. God was not in school, family, friends, food, walks, work, or whatever else I did in those non-religious times. I didn’t look for him there because I was never told he was there.
But God is there – precisely there. For example…
The experience of God’s beauty and presence is found our your children. They are not a distraction, but an invitation. They invite us to laugh at meaningless things in our world of seriousness. They beckon us to admit our own need for love as they come repeatedly for our love and affirmation. In their dependence they mirror what it is like to be dependent on our creator. The beauty of God is found in their laughter, imagination, creativity, and peace as we watch them sleep (this last one gets less cute as they grow older…then they drool and snore!).
The experience of God’s goodness and beauty is found in our work. In it he forms and shapes our character. We are dependent upon his grace. We are reminded of purpose beyond a paycheck. In most of our roles we are forced to be around people – forced into relationships – the very thing God has created us for. Some of these relationships feed us and help us grow. Others challenge us yet still help us grow, because in these relationships we deepen in our ability for God’s mercy, grace, and love to flow through us.
God is in our hobbies, too. Where do we come up with this idea that God does not want us to enjoy life? He creates us for life and redeems us for life. Some of my hobbies/things I enjoy are music, reading, nature, walks, eating, listening, learning (note, none are really exercise). I experience God in these things. They are not a break from reality. They are reality. They are not a distraction but an opportunity to experience the Divine presence of the Creator of all things and the one who nurtures our souls.
Perhaps the problem isn’t that we don’t suffer enough. While we can’t say we (as the church) suffer much here in the good ol’ US of A, by virtue of being human beings we do suffer. We suffer as we experience our fallen, broken humanity. We don’t need more suffering.
Perhaps what we’re missing is the beauty – the ability to see and experience how the life of God is manifested all around us.
If we would just wake up
look outside of where we expect to find him
then, He may be found.