Well it has been a while since my last post, regretfully. I could blame it on busyness or distractions, but in all honesty I just didn't feel like writing, and I didn't feel I had much to write about. This semester has been a unique and challenging one to say the least, and my walk with God has gone through a dry/distracted spell. Which brings me to today. I've spent most of the day praying and even resolved to fast in an effort to be more focused/less distracted from God. So here follows my thoughts:
The thing that has really been on my mind is a passage that appears in a few of the Gospels, where Jesus tells people that His followers are to be the 'salt of the earth' (Matthew 5:13 and Mark 9:50). I know most of you have heard this passage and probably heard a pastor unpack what it exactly means to be 'salt' in this world. The most familiar of those explanations involves the fact that salt adds zest and flavor to otherwise dull food. Other explanations focus on salts value in ancient times and how it was used for its preserving qualities. There are a slew of other interpretations as well, but another explanation kind of came to mind, and its been sticking with me all day. Bear with me here...
Most people know that water conducts electricity, hence why there is no such thing as a toaster that toasts in your shower. But whats interesting is that salt water is a much better conductor of electricity. If you touch a live wire via saltwater, you will receive a much larger shock than if you touch a live wire through tap water. Combine that idea with the illustration Jesus gave, and we find that salt helps conduct better. (I realize it sounds cheesy to compare conduction to being receptive to God, but I'm going there) Most people also know that electricity can be used to make something magnetic, and that goes along with the metaphor of God being the 'electricity' that 'magnetizes' us and causes us to 'attract' other people. Christian cliches at their finest.
But rolling with that metaphor nonetheless, lately I have felt like I've 'lost my charge' so to speak. It has been hard to 'conduct' God lately in my life. I'm sure most of this is my doing, but still. Distractions, cynicism taken too far, loss of perspective, ungratefulness, resentment, apathy; there are manifold causes. These things also manifest themselves in my personal relationships. I find myself caring less about people, their faults being hard to ignore. I am more likely to snap at people or assume they have the wrong motives. These thoughts are not conducive to drawing people in; I'm not exactly 'attracting' them. I feel 'degaussed', more or less.
I'm not trying to be a downer here, every christian goes through seasons like this. But regardless, that image has been stuck in my mind all day. A magnet that doesn't attract. Why keep a kitchen magnet if it doesn't stick to the fridge? The picture is striking to me for some reason, and it has kind of shook me up.
All this being said, I am comforted by the thought that any dull magnet can be re-magnetized. There are a few ways this can happen. Use electricity to establish poles in the magnet. Even simply rubbing the metal with another magnet can magnetize it. I take two things out of this. First, more time with God. I am so so so quick to procrastinate this necessary time everyday. I'll rationalize that I need to attend to the more pressing matter, and that God will still be there afterwards.Secondly, I need more time with other believers that I know well, those that will literally 'rub off' on me. This has been increasingly challenging with most of my close senior friends being swamped with internships, heavy class loads, jobs, etc.. Regardless, I need to start making more of an effort to engage in this staple of my walk.
I realize this is all 'duh' stuff, but I find that most of our problems have somewhat simple solutions, despite how elusive they are to us. So with all this written, here's to regaining my charge from a God that is endlessly patient with us dull magnets.
