In this chapter, Dan expounds on his experience with simple, everyday worship that is inspired by his interactions with nature and the simple life he chooses to lead. He compares the impressions he gathered of God as a child in the traditional church, with what he has come to know about God through daily communion without the confines of a sanctuary. What were my impressions of God as a child? I saw God as a being with infinite power. Sometimes he used it for good and sometimes he was a pain in the ass about it. After hearing countless men and women in ministry talk about their "surrender to the call", I seriously thought doing God's will meant finding the thing you least wanted to do, and agreeing to do it for God. I thought I'd have to be a missionary in Africa and never see my family again. I also sadly thought that only men could serve God as ministers, teachers, ushers, and Deacons. God didn't really seem like someone I wanted to get chummy with.In my adulthood, I am learning that it is acceptable to find God in nature; that it is acceptable to find God riding on my bicycle; that it is acceptable to find him participating in a service project to help sustain the ecosystem of my beautiful county. I guess what I'm learning, as I grow older, is that I am acceptable to God; just as I am. I don't need to fake my growth. Growth will flow naturally as I grow in my relationship with Him.
Finally, Dan lets us in on his gypsy lifestyle in this chapter. I must say he makes traveling the country, living week by week sound very attractive. Painting, meditating, napping, reading, seeing things that others only catch in a few days of vacation once a year. He describes the freedom that I long for. I hope someday to catch that wave, and drive an RV.
No comments:
Post a Comment