Reminders
On a Friday that does not preceded a Spring Church Sunday night worship service, the blog posts cover a variety of topics. We’ll return to our series on Ruth on a Friday that precedes a second or fourth Sunday night, but in the mean time, enjoy this week’s reflections.
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Post by Jack Bloss
7 minute read
I used to seek exciting revelations from God as often as I could, until I realized that Christian faith is a walk full of reminders.
About 4 years ago, during my Freshman and Sophomore years of college, my walk with Jesus became very exciting. God was providing fresh revelations every week that made me feel so energetic, so loved and encouraged. I was finding new community and new friendships, I started dating my soon-to-be wife, God was speaking to me through visions and schoolwork and mentors, I was constantly learning new things about the Gospel and understanding its necessity in the context of my own life. I was leading worship and a small group and an outreach group that each made me uncomfortable and yet satisfied. It was invigorating! I wanted to know more! This good news felt so good!
As my time in college progressed and neared its end, I started to feel an emptiness. I didn’t “feel” the Gospel as strongly as I used to. I wasn’t as excited by it. I wondered oftentimes if there was anything else to learn. And if not, what was I to do? New realizations were what sustained me, it seemed. What would drive me, if not a new development in my understanding of the Kingdom or the Gospel? Was God really speaking to me if I was no longer having these radical experiences? The time I considered devotional time became stale and flat, and I felt very discouraged. I didn’t really enjoy reading books anymore because nothing contained the shock and awe it once did. “I know that.” “I’ve heard that before.” I wrestled with this for the entire latter half of my time in college.
In hindsight, I think God is preparing me for something that has longevity, or as Eugene Peterson put it- a long obedience in the same direction. As I’ve wrestled through this, I have come to appreciate the marathon that has replaced the adrenaline-filled sprint.
It all clicked for me one day when I asked a friend what they thought of a guided Bible Study we were doing together. He said, “I don’t really like the commentary. There’s nothing in it haven’t heard before.” I started realizing that the people I know who have walked with Jesus for a long time are sustained by reminders, not new insights. They stand firm in the reminders that help them draw closer to Jesus and to others, even if they have heard it a thousand times before.
Passages like 2 Peter began to make sense to me. Immediately following the greeting in 2 Peter, the author, Peter (some say it isn’t Peter, but I’ll just say it is), continues with the following:
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
Peter goes on to encourage his audience to continue in goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. He encourages them to “make every effort to confirm [their] calling and election.” In the same chapter, he says
“So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.”
Peter isn’t talking to college Freshmen who’s hearts are burning for the good news. He’s speaking with maturing adults who get it; who have gotten it for a long time. Everything Peter is talking about has to do with continuing and persevering and effort. “Confirm your election,” God’s invitation to you, that you already received. It’s not easy, and it doesn’t really feel glamorous. But do the things that will sustain you (so you are firmly established in the truth).
So, how do I do this? What are some practices that can help sustain me and help me pay attention to God, myself and others?
One practice that sustains me is the lunch break. Throughout my morning, I get caught up in my work and place stress on myself. My lunch break helps me to process my morning and prepare for my afternoon. I read a short devotional (4 or 5 sentences) that lasts 4 weeks, and then it starts over again. I’ve read through it four times now, but the words do not grow stale because I am no longer looking for them to be new. They are good words, and they remind me of who I am, they connect me to the world, and they help me place my day within God’s authority.
Lunch break at work reading from the “Book of Hours,” which contains writings from Henri Nouwen, a Catholic priest and influential writer.
All of this to say, I don’t believe the revelations and new discoveries of the Kingdom come to an end. The Kingdom, while simple, rolls on in new forms throughout our lives as we change and our community, culture, and context changes. The invigorating revelations of my Freshman and Sophomore years ultimately rolled on into the deepening friendship with Jesus in the Junior and Senior years and beyond. Jesus was just very patient as I wrestled with whether this experience was indicative of a dying faith or a deepening walk. The invigorating revelations were wonderful, exciting, and energizing, but I am learning no longer to rely on them to confirm my walk with Jesus.
In fact, I have begun to notice that this trajectory in our relationship with Jesus is just like that of a good friendship or marriage. When I started dating Jessie, my wife, I was gushing. I slept 5-6 hours a night and never felt tired. It was awesome. I was constantly learning new sides and characteristics of Jessie that amazed and surprised me.
Jessie and me in our first few months of dating striking the classic “Titanic” pose.
Is that how marriage is? Not so much. We already know a lot about each other on a fundamental basis. I know what makes her tick and what makes her weary. I know her family and her background. I know her interests and hobbies, her embarrassing stories, her heartbreaks. The constant (I mean hourly) shock and awe of learning about each other has grown into a deepening intimacy. That deepening intimacy is a gift and a danger. It becomes increasingly easy to start getting comfortable and drifting apart. Intentionally paying attention to each other and leaning into each other’s joys, trials, and mundanes becomes increasingly vital.
For example, Jessie and I were quarantined together for 14 weeks, and we worked 5 feet apart from each other the whole time. We literally spent all day every day together. We actually really enjoyed the close proximity to each other and missed it when it was over. And yet somehow, even when we were 5 feet apart everyday, I was able to forget to check in. I was capable of having no idea how she was doing (and I’m still capable of doing that). I could talk right past her, and she could talk right past me. I need reminders and rhythms to help me remember to check in with her and help me remember who she is and who I am in relation to her.
I think the shift from constant exhilaration to constancy in our individual and corporate relationship with God can be a beautiful gift, a sign that it’s truly a relationship. We have moved past the exciting stage. We understand who we are and who God is. We don’t need the exciting realizations anymore because we know some of the fundamental truths about God. Now, we need the reminders to draw closer to God- to check in. We need the reminders that firmly establish us in the truth we already have. We need the reminders that confirm God’s invitation to us, our chosenness. It’s not always thrilling or glamorous or quick. It’s a maturing relationship- a walk. A beautiful walk with Jesus.
