You’re driving down the highway, and BAM! Something hits your windshield. You are startled and realize it was a rock and notice a small chip in the windshield. A few days later you notice some cracks splintering out from that chip. You think, “I should have that fixed”, but you continue on your way.

A couple of weeks later you get into your car to start out on your way and realize it is getting more and more difficult to see because the splintering cracks from that one small, but powerful rock, are making their way into your view.

The same can be true for falsehoods we are taught about God. Maybe, like me, you grew up very Southern Baptist, and there was no dancing or drinking allowed. You were told these are sins. You were told that you must spend a “quiet time” with God each morning and read His word for God to love you and be happy with you. These are all lies, and yet they start out small and begin to slowly splinter our clear view of a loving God.

What I have come to realize in my journey of knowing who God truly is, is that I was placing my view of Him on human people around me. On what they told me about Him without taking it to His word and seeing if that was the truth of who God truly is. So, my view of God began to be splintered by the legalistic view I had been taught.

This is what I now know. Drinking is not in itself a sin. However, it becomes a sin when you overindulge to numb feelings, get drunk just to get drunk, or your drinking is a stumbling block to someone else. Remember, sin is just using something God did not intend to be used to fill a legitimate need. Maybe that need is to be accepted, so you drink with your buddies. You get drunk to numb things you don’t want to come to terms with, those are sins. Same with dancing, when it becomes seductive and is not God honoring, then it is a sin. And for the “quiet time”, well that is very pharisaical.

The Pharisees were very legalistic – check the box – kind of people. Do this, this and this to earn your way into heaven and have God love you. But here’s the thing. With the new covenant – Jesus dying and then being raised from the dead, the old way of life left and the new way is Jesus.

Coming to Him and recognizing your need for Him, repenting of your sin, and believing He died and rose again to cover your sins and make a way for You. That is the truth. So, the new covenant got rid of checklists.

It involves a personal God and a personal relationship. The more we spend time talking to Him (like any relationship) the more we see who He truly is. The more we read His word and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us, the more we see that God is not mad or keeping you out of heaven for missing a “quiet time”. Instead, as I talked about a few weeks ago, He misses you when you don’t spend time with Him. Just like you miss someone you have not spent time with in awhile.

Yet, my views were so messed up for a long time – those small chips of lies I was taught, mixed with trauma and what I went through, splintered my true view of God.

So, I want you to ask God today to remind you who He truly is and come to Him as you are. Repent when you don’t make time for Him, and just move back into the relationship. Just as you would with anyone here on earth you have hurt, or not taken time for, apologize and move on. I can promise God will forgive you when you come to Him with a true repentant heart, because nothing will change how much He loves you.

Father God,
Forgive me for being legalistic in my view of You. Open my eyes to who You truly are, and help me come back to You when I fail to spend time with You and in Your word. Forgive me for being too busy with things of this world at times, and draw me back and closer to You again. May my life be a living testament to You and Your love. May the cracks blocking my view of You be fixed so I clearly see the true, loving, gracious, and merciful God you are today and forevermore.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

© 2024 All Rights Reserved. Susan M. Clabaugh with Encouragement in Daily Living LLC.