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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Miles-a-Minute Challenge #10: On and On

Here's my Miles-a-Minute challenge answer for today's video, "On and On."

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Discuss/Describe the subject that you can talk all day about, and compare it to your knowledge of God’s love for you.

Oh there are quite a few. Anime, literature, video games, now Doctor Who.  And then some. 

As for knowledge of God's love for me...I'm not completely ignorant of that. 13 years of Christian school and 20+ years of church haven't been for nothing. I know what Jesus did on the cross, and how he rose again, and how somebody can get saved. I know, in my head at least, that he loves me. It's in my heart that there is a lack of trust and possibly even belief and knowledge too. I call it the "Gummi Berry Juice problem," after this one episode of Disney's The Adventures of the Gummi Bears that I saw a long time ago (Season 1, Episode 14 - "The Secret of the Juice") where Sunni Gummi is only able to successfully make the famous Gummi Berry Juice when she has the recipe in both her head and her heart, as her grandma does. In my case, I use it to refer to a spiritual problem where I know all this spiritual stuff in my head but don't feel or believe or know it in my heart. It's a real problem, and I need to fix it. Is it because I don't trust God enough?

I tend to go through life using scripts. For various situations in life I have a mental script, detailing the sort of things I am supposed to say and routines I am supposed to follow. Sometimes I get these scripts mixed up though, asking people if they need help finding anything (a "GM on the floor" script line) when I'm in the service deli or something. (Also sometimes when people say "Thank you" I accidentally say "Thank you" back instead of "You're welcome"). I guess this idea is to compensate for my social difficulties, since I primarily use them in social situations. I don't know whether this would work with sharing God with people or not though, since I don't have experience with that.

On spiritual gifts tests, I've never rated high for Evangelism (though Missionary was #2 on one of them). I know I should evangelize anyway, cause all Christians are supposed to, but I'm quite certain I'm not gifted at it like Miles is. I suppose mainly what you're supposed to do is help point people toward God and salvation, since the one who actually saves people is God, working in their hearts through the Holy Spirit. It's kind of like the character Evangelist in The Pilgrim's Progress. He only tells Christian how to get to the Wicket Gate that leads to the path of salvation. It is Christian who must get himself there:

"Then said Evangelist, If this be thy condition, Why standest thou still? He [Christian] answered, Because I know not wither to go. Then he have him a Parchment Roll, and there was written within, Fly from the Wrath to come.

The Man therefore read it, and looking upon Evangelist very carefully, said, Whither must I fly? Then said Evangelist, pointing with his finger over a very wide field, Do you see yonder Wicket Gate? The man said, No: Then said the other, Do you see yonder Shining Light? He said, I think I do. Then said Evangelist, Keep that Light in your eye, and go up directly thereto, so shalt thou see the Gate; at which, when thou knockest, it shall be told thee what thou shalt do."

Quite a bit happens after that, before Christian even gets to the Gate. His family and neighbors try to stop him, he nearly sinks into the Slough of Despond, he is deceived by Mr. Worldly Wiseman, etc. But he gets there in the end, and through many other trials, before finally reaching the Celestial City, and his journey inspires his wife and children to later follow him. And later on, when they go, much the same thing is told Christiana by her heavenly helper:

"Then said the Visiter, Christiana! the Bitter is before the Sweet. Thou must through Troubles, as did he that went before thee, enter this Celestial City. Wherefore I advise thee to do as did Christian thy husband: Go to the Wicket-Gate yonder over the Plain, for that stands in the head of the Way up which thou must go, and I wish thee all good speed."

I suppose I could do that. But how though?

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