Our Stories
How To Find Living Color
By Abigail Welborn | posted 10/08/2009
"Come near to God and he will come near to you." (James 4:8, NIV)
I’ve been greatly enjoying the latest sermon series at Creekside. It’s just what I need to add a spark to my spiritual life, which, I have to admit, has become a little boring. My life has been going well and overall running smoothly, and when that happens, I tend to focus on myself and lose interest in God. Oh, I still believe in him, even thank him for his many blessings. I’m just not as excited as I used to be.
Then I heard that I’m supposed to be "a splash of color" in the drab, dreary world. While the idea was appealing, I also resisted it at first. I didn’t want one more thing to add to my to-do list. "Oh, great," I thought. "On top of telling people about Jesus and not sinning, now I’m supposed to look like I’m having a great time, too." But that reaction is exactly the opposite of Living Color. The idea is that God brings color into my own life first, so that then I can spread it around.
A line from one of Doug’s recent sermons really caught my attention: "I’m convinced that if people truly understood what the Gospel was about, they could never reject it." Apparently, that applies to me, too! I don’t have to make myself do one more thing. If I’m finding Christianity to be a chore, a drudgery, a list of commands to obey, then I have totally lost sight of what it’s all about. Grace, forgiveness, relationship with God - these concepts are so familiar to me that I lose sight of how amazing the Gospel story is.
So how do I find a reminder? How do I get out of the dry, boring world of a "Christianity" that’s just a list of things to do? It’s a three-part answer that’s another aspect of the Living Color series. The interconnectedness of several aspects of our spiritual lives means we have at least three ways to attack the problem, each of which leads to the other two: the inward focus of drawing near to God, the outward journey of helping others, and the fellowship of sharing these experiences.
This past week, Doug talked about spiritual disciplines and the way they bring us closer to God. He challenged us to try one new thing, so my husband and I signed up for a time slot during the upcoming 24 Hours of Prayer. It’s a combination of prayer, silence, and solitude, which aren’t common to our normal routine. I don’t know if we’ll make it the full hour, but sometimes you have to start small. If we don’t reach our goal, as Doug pointed out, we haven’t sinned or disappointed God. Like training exercises, we start with doing as much as we can and gradually learn how to do more. God promises that if we show a little initiative, he will respond by coming closer to us (James 4:8).
I’m looking forward to finding out what else God has to show me about living a colorful life. Though I’m a little nervous about what God might ask me to do, I also know that the reward will be totally worth it!
Abigail can be reached via email here.
