Wow, so much to unpack! I loved the metaphor of God peeling back the protection briefly to show you what being in control of your own life really means. Such grace! I was also struck by the thought that doing something that helps us out of a dark place is positive, even if it isn’t the end goal. It hit me that often God gives us things that aren’t the final answer to help us out of a pit. I got the image of being at the bottom of a deep pit, then God puts a ladder there for me to climb out. All of the rungs are helpful, but none of them is the end. If I stayed on one rung (the rung of Law of Attraction culture, for instance), I would be better off than I had been at the bottom, but I still wouldn’t be as well off as God intends by giving me the ladder. The point isn’t to stay on that rung, but rather to recognize the good it offers by using it to reach the next rung, and the next, which eventually lead to God Himself. Such a beautiful picture of the gentleness with which God leads us to Himself. He doesn’t judge us for taking hold of the rung. But He doesn’t want us to stay there—He wants us to keep going toward the light! This episode really gave me a glimpse of God’s hugeness and complexity.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Christine! Really appreciated the image of a ladder - all the rungs help get you out, but are not the end at all. Indeed and amen!!
I'm very pleased and in agreement with your analysis of the law of attraction. A number of years ago, I happened onto a group of Satanists and got to know them a bit. Their focus is on power and control. I found many of the Satanists were people who had been abused or neglected or consistently mistreated. In my opinion, they found their emotional relief and salvation in controlling and having power. Like you said in your talk, Christ and God are the ones that want to carry their burden of our future and control.
Wow, so much to unpack! I loved the metaphor of God peeling back the protection briefly to show you what being in control of your own life really means. Such grace! I was also struck by the thought that doing something that helps us out of a dark place is positive, even if it isn’t the end goal. It hit me that often God gives us things that aren’t the final answer to help us out of a pit. I got the image of being at the bottom of a deep pit, then God puts a ladder there for me to climb out. All of the rungs are helpful, but none of them is the end. If I stayed on one rung (the rung of Law of Attraction culture, for instance), I would be better off than I had been at the bottom, but I still wouldn’t be as well off as God intends by giving me the ladder. The point isn’t to stay on that rung, but rather to recognize the good it offers by using it to reach the next rung, and the next, which eventually lead to God Himself. Such a beautiful picture of the gentleness with which God leads us to Himself. He doesn’t judge us for taking hold of the rung. But He doesn’t want us to stay there—He wants us to keep going toward the light! This episode really gave me a glimpse of God’s hugeness and complexity.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Christine! Really appreciated the image of a ladder - all the rungs help get you out, but are not the end at all. Indeed and amen!!
I'm very pleased and in agreement with your analysis of the law of attraction. A number of years ago, I happened onto a group of Satanists and got to know them a bit. Their focus is on power and control. I found many of the Satanists were people who had been abused or neglected or consistently mistreated. In my opinion, they found their emotional relief and salvation in controlling and having power. Like you said in your talk, Christ and God are the ones that want to carry their burden of our future and control.
Thank you for the comment, Mike! It's much better to let Christ carry the burden of our lives.
Indeed! Change can feel like a hairpin turn sometimes. Thanks for listening!!