The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9
The answer of course, in the next verse, is that: "I the Lord search the heart..." And thank goodness for that! At least SOMEONE understands me- and yes- even the bad things!
A long time ago in one of those crazy deep, "Iron sharpeneth iron" conversation I've had with Tiffany (Betrayer's cover artist and creative consultant), I remember her saying something to the effect: God's truth isn't dependent on my feelings."
It's stuck with me ever since.
It's so easy to get caught up in the subjective, the sensory, and the mundane. But it's so true, that God doesn't change. His opinion doesn't change. I might switch moods like changing a pair of shoes, but He remains constant. I might get grumpy because I'm hungry. He doesn't. I might be tired and discouraged, and feel like the future is nothing but bleak, that God doesn't hear, or that He's against me, or even wonder if He exists. But thankfully, I know that none of those things are true. I might feel them, but they are wrapped up in a mood that will pass. God remains eternal, as indelible and unchanging as the laws of the universe He's created. 2+2 will never equal 5, no matter what my opinions are on it. And the same God who designed the mathematical system, the laws of gravity, the musical chords that flow so elegantly in their patterns, who stamped his seal onto our conscience and onto the universe, also revealed Himself in His word.
Everywhere you look now you see the message: Follow your heart.
God says: Your heart will deceive you.
It might feel good to, well, go with a feeling on something. It doesn't feel wrong. How could a loving God condemn me for ... ? Or, conversely: I don't feel loved right now. How could God forgive me for ... ?
In a world where absolutes are frowned upon, and having the "courage" to follow whatever feels right is applauded, it's easy to get comfortable with those ideas. But if you really stop and think about it, that's not a great place to be. That's like saying that traffic laws only apply to everyone else, not to me. So when I run a stop sign and get T-boned by someone because I didn't feel like stopping, who gets hurt? Well, both of us. When we run God's stop signs, it's on just as grand a scale (and even more so, because we're talking eternity here!), and lives can be ruined just as effectively by "following your heart" as by ignoring traffic laws. If I want God to let me off the hook for something because I was having a bad day, but then you come along and hurt my feelings because, because you were having a bad day, then why should God let my sin slide and not yours?
See where I'm going with this? God's truth is absolute. My heart is fickle. Without His truth there would be no stability at all in the world. Nothing to fall back on. The same justice applies to each of us, and each of us is offered the same mercy and forgiveness. I may be grumpy about that at times, but in the end, it's so comforting to know that certain things you can absolutely count on.
I would love to explore this topic so much more. My mind is going crazy with ideas, but since the same 24 hour days apply to me as to everyone else, I'm out of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment