Friday 25 March 2016

Log #2 - Holding On to You

"You are surrounding all my surroundings,
sounding down the mountain range of my left side brain,
You are surrounding all my surroundings,
Twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes"

-Twenty One Pilots


Alright, God has been revealing to me far too many truths to not let one slip out and transform into a blog. Where to begin?

Honestly, whether I want to admit it or not, I've become very emotional recently. One could accredit this to my current situation or season of life, which I wouldn't completely disagree with. However, this season of enlightenment leads me to believe this emotional state will more or less continue until the day I die. Don't jump to comment and cheer me up thinking that Ben has gone into a deep depression. It's more of a deep sadness which, although it sounds the same, I would give a different definition. Once you understand to a better degree how magnificently blessed you are to be a follower of God, you begin to understand that living for anything other than God is absolutely tragic. The more you're opened up to the empty darkness present in this world, the more you have a deep sadness for anyone that might fall into this nothingness, especially those that do it with glee. Let me step back for a moment and make it clear that I do not put myself on any sort of pedestal because I am a follower of God. Life is not about comparisons or pedestals, it's about priorities.

If I truly want to make God the top of my priority list, that will include having a heart and mind as His, and working to follow the instructions He left for us. "Go and make disciples", this message is nothing new and yet the importance of it never really hit me. In my mind, growing up, this was something we do on occasion when it 'feels' right and not something that should trouble us greatly. I'd think, 'Well, if the conversation gets around to God, sure I'll share my beliefs. Otherwise, just leave it be'. That is just as tragic my friends, just as tragic. For one to know there is something more than empty darkness, it must be revealed to them...yes? Because of these combined ideas, I have a whole range of emotions when i'm surrounded by emptiness. I feel sad because of the lack of purpose, for one. An interesting thing to ask people is what they're after at the present moment, what is it that keeps them going from day to day. Sure, it can be little things that change from one week to the next, but I believe those 'little things' can be extremely telling of what a person is ultimately living for.

Beyond just that, how are you being fed? Spiritual nourishment is what I long for, now more than I ever have in my life. If we're meant to be like Christ, we have so much room for improvement it's not even funny. Spiritual growth is crucial if we're to get anywhere in life. And with that I come to one of my main points of this post: 'Who/what you surround yourself with can mean life or death'. In no way do I feel I've gone too far with this statement. God has made it so unbelievably clear to me that I fully have faith that the Holy Spirit is at work in this. With that said, let's take a look at scripture because that should always be the base we operate from.

Can we note how often the psalmists sing about what surrounds them? "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance" (Psalm 32:7). "Those who surround me proudly rear their heads; may the mischief of their lips engulf them" (Psalm 140:9). "They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down" (Psalm 118:10). What surrounded people, whether physical or metaphorical, had a huge impact. It's important to see how people survived not by relying on themselves, but instead on the masterful creator of heaven and earth. During travel, you don't always get to easily pick and choose the groups you surround yourself with. I absolutely love the variety of people, cultures, backgrounds, etc. But often I need a spiritual revival which I feel is only possible when I surround myself with other followers that help to challenge and encourage me in my walk. Being in scripture is one thing, but being in scripture with others opens you up to so much more that you miss when reading alone. Jesus was a 'backpacker' himself, to some extent, since he too was always on the move. "Jesus replied, foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). Even though Jesus often spoke of leaving all else behind to follow Him, He himself had a group of disciples that went nearly everywhere with Him. Even when He went up on the mountain to be transformed by God, He took a couple of friends with Him. Why is this? Well, it's mostly conjecture on my part, but there is something extremely important to surrounding yourself with good and godly people. We experience things together. The danger comes when we find ourselves in unhealthy groups that aren't looking to grow, or when we fill our time with meaningless things that don't ultimately bring life.

I desperately want to live. It's not that I know exactly what that looks like, only God knows for sure, but He has passed on plenty for me to work off of for now. More will come along the way as I need it. But He has prepared the way and I rely on that truth. So often you'll hear people pray for God or angels to surround a certain individual or place that is need, for protection and restoration. After returning from my most recent travels to South Australia, i'm looking for restoration. That's not to say that God wasn't at work as I traveled, for I felt His presence on multiple occasions, but by the end I had been stretched pretty thin. God has blessed me with a beautiful church family here in Melbourne, and for that I am eternally grateful. It got to a point where I couldn't breathe. Where I was surrounded by emptiness and nothingness, a darkness that is hauntingly subtle. We must live with a purpose, and for that we need our priorities to be straight. What do you live for day to day? What or who do you surround yourself with? Are you being fed? I completely understand the temptation to numb yourself from reality, but it's time we face it. We were designed to face it. God has big plans and and I don't know about you, but I can't wait for my reward of being with Him. Completely surrounded by God and His perfection, now that's what i'm talking about.

No comments:

Post a Comment