Friday, June 12, 2009

friends

"Faith rejects false piety. To enter the desert is to leave behind the false trappings of religion insofar as they keep us from facing reality. And that separation can be very painful, for the trappings will be associated with people whose friendship and support we have come to [enjoy] but who, often without knowing it, are helping to preserve us in immaturity."
-- Kenneth Leech

Do your friends approve and support your every thought? Or do your friends challenge you to be better than you were? Every now and then do they open the box under your arm, take out your god, and show you his smallness?

Real friends will do such things, and we should never be threatened by the examination, but invigorated and inspired to believe in the God who is bigger than our notions of Him.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

1 comment:

H4EO said...

"Test everything. Hold on to the good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21

"Never be threatened by the examination." Very nice.

Every opportunity taken to review your beliefs and convictions, allows Spirit to nurture your soul.

Do your own thinking. It is the very act of seeking that develops our relationship with God.

Follow the avenues of scripture, listen to others, spend time questioning. These are the paths that deepen our relationships.

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters business. Instead, I have called you fiends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you." John 15:15

"Real friends will do such things," Amen