Abandon "Self Help," Retain Relationships

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle!  Do not taste!  Do not touch!"?  

These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.  

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, 

their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

COLOSSIANS 2:20-23

This summer I read Donald Miller's, "Blue Like Jazz," and "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years."  I just finished "The Shack," by William Young, which I enjoyed as much as Miller's two most popular books.   Miller has quickly become one of my favorite authors.  I'm so appreciative for his honesty in his books, it makes him relatable.  Young's bestseller was so fresh and relational as well.

I'm a theology major at a private liberal arts university right now.  I love it.  The cultivated mind is a force to be reckoned with especially in a culture that is so superficial.  A quality liberal arts education will grant you the ability to cultivate your mind, to learn how to learn as opposed to teaching you how to think.  I often learn and grow through systematizing any given topic or area of life.  I break it down to understand what's actually going on.  This skill is so overlooked in a our society that is so shallow, concerned with the external.  But someone who knows how to learn can teach himself anything, can find answers, can know truth and act accordingly.  The act of learning and understanding truth is one of the most difficult things to do though. Life is messy and confusing.

So at this point you're probably tired of reading my blog.  I've given you a scripture, mentioned some of my favorite books, and told you that I'm a theology major interested in truth.  Wish me luck tying it all together.  But after all, maybe this is more for myself than it is you the reader and I just don't recognize that.

How many times have we heard in church, or from other Christians, what Paul calls "basic principles" listed off as things we should not do?  Don't drink alcohol, don't hang out with that group of people, go to school, get a job, you'll understand and thank me when you're older.  But those are just too simple, and those rules would make life too easy while simultaneously making life exponentially more difficult.  Paul finishes that passage by stating that these "basic principles.... lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence."  Fact.  I've heard all the rules in the book, whether directly or indirectly given to me, and none of the rules have changed me.  We live in a culture that is very systematic and organized and I find that to be detrimental sometimes.  Because we (myself as the chief of this) all-too-easily think we can systematize life, plug in the magic formula, figure everything out.  I've started reading another of Miller's books, titled, "Searching for God Knows What."  He already has me laughing and I'm only one chapter in.  I get so sick of this logical and routine life.  Miller makes me laugh because of his approach to life in that he admits when he tries to reason his way through life and the consequences are usually not as expected.  Miller makes me cry because he quickly gives up on his reasoning abilities and he is freed from the "basic principles" of this world.  

Isn't that what Christ wants?  Christ set us free for freedoms sake!  We don't have a magic formula to always do the right thing, be in the right place, or understand the happenings of this life; but we do have relationships.  God wants us to be in relationship with him because he is the only thing that can change us, to move us from our sin and wrongdoing.  I'll concede that is a frustrating idea.  Trust me, these past two weeks I have been struggling and drained from not being able to do the right thing and not understanding all things, I want the answers and I want them now so I can be good!  But that's too simple, and too hard, if I understood all the right moves I'd have to make to do everything right, I would be overwhelmed by the fact that I'm not capable of meeting those standards.  Thank God for relationship that transforms, not rules that have no power to create true heart change.  This scripture reminds me of that truth, I all too often get caught up in my studies and always seeking to know right from wrong, books I'm reading refresh me to see that lifestyle of relationships lived out practically.  Sorry you had to wait until the second to last sentence for me to tie those together, but then again perhaps I'm not sorry because maybe this is for me and not you.