“I have tried hard to find you – don’t let me wander from your commands.”
Psalm 119:10 NLT
Looking back, I can see that there was a difference between how I lived and who I was inside and outside my home. My proximity to God was determined in part by the audience with whom I was associating. In other words, I was acting and not behaving as authentically as I might. This was damaging to me because I lived two lives, closely aligned yet self-evidently different. People close to me were unable to trust me because of the inconsistency they experienced.
This inconsistency was born out of my lack of rootedness in God. Taking root required I determined for myself where my anchor point was. Eventually, as the psalmist commends, I took scripture as my primary point of reference. This required me to acknowledge the inconsistencies I observed in my daily living and also required that I wrestle with the meaning of scripture. It became clear that what was of essential importance to me may not be of much consequence to another. I was quick to pass judgement, grew angry suddenly and said things I deeply regretted within minutes of saying them. So bridling the tongue was of critical importance for me. This took work and a consistent plan. For someone else these were never real issues in their life.
Unless I do the work of deciding how I might measure my proximity to God, I will stray from God’s way and do untold damage in ignorance. I might tell myself that I am living the Christian life, yet behaviours that damage others, while protecting myself, are a sure sign of walking some distance from the path laid down by God. The Christian life is unique in that it lies beyond the Law and places responsibility upon each individual to mark their boundaries and determine what Christian living requires. The degree to which I learn and implement that learning reveals how close I am to God, not by my own estimation, but through the way in which others experience me.
QUESTION
What are you reading in the scriptures that are causing you to adjust your way of life?
PRAYER
Loving Father, teach me from your word how I should live. Give me the humility to see where I need to change.
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