Note: For those of you who used to dig my old blog (hi Mom) this entry was originally posted back in 2006.
I was cruising the web last night and I stumbled upon an intriguing little article championing the health benefits of a high fiber diet . . . don't ask.
It was the title of the article that caught my attention actually; "10 Things That Make You Feel Alive" As I scanned the article my thoughts kept drifting back to that title, and I began to wonder, ..What is it that makes me feel alive?..
While I couldn't completely deny the excitement and adventure that a healthy colon had brought to my life, it seemed the answer to my question might just be a bit more complex. I sat back, took a long swig of Metamucil and grabbed my bible.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, ....whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God...
In the classic film Chariots of Fire, there is a scene where Eric Liddell is wrestling with a "what makes you feel alive," dilemma of his own. On one hand was his desire to enter the mission field. Liddell was passionate about sharing and living the gospel of Christ. On the other hand was his emerging athletic career. Although he knew he would eventually give himself fully to missions he couldn't shake his belief that God had made him fast for a reason.
As I ponder the meaning of doing all for the glory of God, I see a vision of the kind of husband, father and youth pastor God wants me to be. But I also see myself on my board, hitting kickers and carving the snow as I fly down the mountain. I think about how cool it feels to lay down a sweet bass line, or make a huge glove save in overtime. I think back to college and how I'd give just about anything to play in a real football game just one more time -and the whole time Liddell's words are echoing in my head. "(God) also made me fast, and when I run I feel his pleasure" And my spirit shouts out, "I feel ya man!"
Sometimes in our tired formulaic approach to Christianity we forget that God is a person. Not that He is human, He isn't, He's completely other. But He is a person and he has a personality. The Bible clearly reveals that just as God is the author, creator and perfecter of all life, so too is He the inventor of all emotions. Love and Joy, He made those. Anger and Jealousy - those are His too.
When I think about God, and how he interacts with me, it's hard for me to believe that He doesn't hurt or perhaps even cry when I experience deep pain. It's equally as hard for me to picture Him as a stuffy old God who is far too proper to ever enjoy a good belly laugh. If you don't think God has a sense of humor re-read the gospels, or better yet - go look in a mirror.
But I digress...
I guess what I'm trying to say is that God isn't only glorified in you and I when we are studying His word, or singing His praises. He can also be glorified when we are diving off of a cliff, or grinding on a hand rail, or shredding on a strat, or grilling a steak, or making a cross-stitch, or whatever it is that you do that makes you feel alive. God is glorified in all of these, so long as we realize that He is the one who put that passion inside of us, and that He put it in us for a reason.
Why does He put these passions inside of us? I can't say for sure, but I like to believe that it's because he loves us. As I've drawn closer to God I am convinced that He wants so badly for us to discover and experience the love He has for us, that he puts these areas of passion inside of us, as a gift, to point us back to Him. And one of the most incredible things I've experienced in all of life, is giving these precious gifts back to him as a sincere token of my gratitude. When I do that, I know that he is glorified, I feel his pleasure, and I know .. I am alive!
