"People are basically always seeking themselves rather than God." This lament from Bonhoeffer is found in his reflections of Luther's concern for sin in the body of Christ. A doctoral candidate at Ashland seminary writes, "when circumstances get challenging they [the body of Christ] begin to move their focus from serving the mission of God to one of survival."
I don't know about you, but I have a battery of survival techniques. It's difficult to stay God-focused rather than self-focused, especially when life gets difficult. I'd rather default to what is comfortable. I'm wondering how often the church body does this as well.
To help center myself on thinking more about God, I've been memorizing the book of 1Peter. It is a slooooooow process, but profitable nevertheless. Listen in: "So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy."*
Well, I've got it memorized, but not conquered. Like memorization, it's a slow process. But there is hope.
Embedding God's word in my heart and mind is helping me. Meeting with other women on the journey is a great motivator as well.
How are you seeking God rather than "slipping back into your old ways?"
* (1Peter 1:14-15, New Living Translation--A note for you hermeneutic nuts: I appreciate the integration of formal and dynamic equivalence. In 2004, the translators published a new edition in order to provide an additional investment in scholarly review and text refinement. The translation committee hails from a broad range of theologians and Biblical scholars.)
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