It’s a matter of space. God has given us a limited amount of space. He has given us just enough room in our hearts either for him or for the World, but never both. That’s why the Bible tells us that we can’t serve two masters. It’s impossible because there isn’t enough room. So what we and most other Christians have done is downsized and compartmentalized. That is, since there isn’t enough room to experience the World wholly and God wholly, then we must downsize their portions in my heart . In other words, a piece of God here - some part of the World there. And even more, we compartmentalize - some aspects of our lives are given to God, while some are still reserved for the World. It’s ingenuis, isn’t it? That way, we can have our cake and eat it, too. Well, the only flaw with that thinking is that we never truly experience the fullness of either one. Life is lukewarm and boring and uneventful and unsatisfying. So really, we need to pick one to experience wholly. We already have experienced the fullness of the World. That was our state before Jesus came into my heart. And boy, sometimes it was so much fun! But at the end of the day, it was shallow and unsatisfying. So it wouldn’t make much sense to return there. The only other option is God, or the Kingdom. The Kingdom is hard a lot of times basically because it exists in direct contradiction to the World - our first home. So because of sacrifice and transformation, it’s pretty tough. But here, we’ve experienced my heart’s deepest desires without fear. Here, we have experienced things beyond mere emotion - things that stick with us in days following, haunting us and changing us; things that reform and startle our very spirits. So, no surprise - our choice is and has been the Kingdom. God accepts this and begins the process of transformation. Looking at our state, He sees a fence-staddling, war-torn heart with no space for more. So, he looks into our hearts, finding all that is inconducive to the Kingdom - and removes it (we try to hold on sometimes, like a tug-of-war; God generally wins). And with the room created by the removal, he replaces it with its antithesis. And that replacement is much more productive. It gives life. It sustains the spirit. And two, another funny thing happens. When we’re getting filled with Kingdom stuff so much that there is hardly any room left, God spills some of the stuff He’s putting into us and it falls into other hearts around us.
My God, my God - I love you for your creativity and faithfulness - more than I could ever convey. Thank you for these words and feelings that come only every once in a great while. They help me love you more. I love you. I love you. I love you.
SRay
