Cardboard Boxes Labeled "God"
Here is something I've been twirling around with lately. I try to stick to this mantra: keep the main thing the main thing. That is much harder than it seems. For one, God should be at the center. It is in him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Yet, in all of our humanness and daily activities of life we manage to let God slip into the background. So, he becomes an accessory--a button on a jean jacket. His abode is the tiny box we check off next to Pentecostal Christian on tests and surveys.
People think that "religious folks" like to use God as a bone to throw at themselves when life gets hard. When someone dies or they face hardship they find solace in their religion or belief that the person is in a better place. Some don't see this as clinging to a truth, but sucking on a white bone to satisfy the hunger pang of loss--the emptiness felt after losing a loved one. To add, religion or a belief in God is viewed something that separates us from other creatures. It is also one of the defining factors of a culture.
I become increasingly aware of this box when I am forced to choose between being honest and feeding into a cultural stereotype. I was asked a question on a psychological survey examining Black cultural attitudes that went something like: have you every seen anyone "catch the spirit" or "speak in tongues"? To which I hesitantly replied yes.
For some, God is just a Sunday companion they come into contact with at grandma's house. Belief in God is just a garland to wear around their necks, something to flaunt (like when folks argue "I'm more religious then you"..or "I'm a good christian woman"). Even more, he is some bedside ritual to perform at night to satisfy the teachings of traditionalist parents.
And for some, he is the opium of the people as Karl Marx said. From worship concerts and conferences they achieve a heightened sense of euphoria and excitement. To them, God's presence is like some sort of addictive drug. They get a "spiritual high" and after they come down from it nothing has changed internally but they always come back for more.
Still for some, God is a cow which they milk for all his benefits. "God give me a *insert car, house, million dollars*."
All of these cardboard boxes labeled "God" are too small. He is the I AM--the kick starter of time. I see that he is worth so much more--more than some flimsy boxes can contain--worth living for.
People think that "religious folks" like to use God as a bone to throw at themselves when life gets hard. When someone dies or they face hardship they find solace in their religion or belief that the person is in a better place. Some don't see this as clinging to a truth, but sucking on a white bone to satisfy the hunger pang of loss--the emptiness felt after losing a loved one. To add, religion or a belief in God is viewed something that separates us from other creatures. It is also one of the defining factors of a culture.
I become increasingly aware of this box when I am forced to choose between being honest and feeding into a cultural stereotype. I was asked a question on a psychological survey examining Black cultural attitudes that went something like: have you every seen anyone "catch the spirit" or "speak in tongues"? To which I hesitantly replied yes.
For some, God is just a Sunday companion they come into contact with at grandma's house. Belief in God is just a garland to wear around their necks, something to flaunt (like when folks argue "I'm more religious then you"..or "I'm a good christian woman"). Even more, he is some bedside ritual to perform at night to satisfy the teachings of traditionalist parents.
And for some, he is the opium of the people as Karl Marx said. From worship concerts and conferences they achieve a heightened sense of euphoria and excitement. To them, God's presence is like some sort of addictive drug. They get a "spiritual high" and after they come down from it nothing has changed internally but they always come back for more.
Still for some, God is a cow which they milk for all his benefits. "God give me a *insert car, house, million dollars*."
All of these cardboard boxes labeled "God" are too small. He is the I AM--the kick starter of time. I see that he is worth so much more--more than some flimsy boxes can contain--worth living for.
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