Blindsided
By Neal Stone ~
Before I start I just want to mention that a few of my co-workers have complimented me on my new site. GOOD compliments at that. Made me feel good to hear them, too.
When the wife and I go somewhere, she drives. As we pull out onto a street she will often ask me if I see any cars coming. I usually give the same humorous response “No, I don't see anything.” She has since caught on and now just asks me to lean back so she can see for herself. After all, she's the one driving so the destination and the way the trip goes is really up to her. Just as when I go cycling, the destination and the trip is up to me. Of course, I do have to be a bit more cautious.
I have driven before and often tell my passengers “Oh by the way... :-) “.
I realized the other night how this mirrored my Christian life. Often times we were on a journey or a mission only to rely on someone who was half blind and really didn't see what was coming. They always seemed to be going off of directions someone else told them. Often times never relying on their own eyes and never looking to see what was really coming.
Instead we were expected to just pull out into the road on “Blind Faith.” “Don't look, don't ask, and never question about the directions I have given you. Just have faith and go!” Yes just pull out and do what you're told. While you are told you are the driver of your life, you are stuck with a half-blind guide in the passenger seat who is giving you the driving directions. Often it is usually your pastor or church leader and sometimes a friend or relative who just seems to “know better than you”.
Ever notice that when a Christian claims to know more or better than you, that their lives are usually more messed up than yours? And yet somehow they feel that they have more life experience and life knowledge and wisdom over you. And yet, they can't get their life together.
I have some younger friends who act like this. They lost their home due to a bad business deal, which everyone else already knew would go bad because the other guy was a lying snake. They lost their family in a nasty divorce and spend their weekends drunk trying to wash it all away, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Yet somehow they are enlightened while YOU are naive and in the dark compared to them. Somehow YOU are the one who was lost and in need of their god. Yes, this person prays for me “to see the light” as they do. Yeah, you might want to check the brightness switch buddy.
Try and question this guide and you get threatened with being run off the road. They will threaten you with not having enough faith in the “divine GPS” (god, holy spirit or Jesus) your guide uses. You will be accused of just not being with the program. You will often find yourself surround by other drivers who will corner you and tell you how wrong you are. Many of them will have major body damage on their cars or be on their second, third, fourth...car.
Am I actually expected to take driving directions from someone who is always wrecking their car? That is what it was like in church and being a Xian.
But that was then. Now I chose my direction and I look closely at what's coming. I evaluate the directions and make sure they make sense before I follow them, not try to figure them out along the way. Hell, even physically half-blind I still see better than most of my Xian friends.
So the next time some Xian tries to get you to follow their directions just look at them and say “No thanks, I'll walk.”
Before I start I just want to mention that a few of my co-workers have complimented me on my new site. GOOD compliments at that. Made me feel good to hear them, too.
When the wife and I go somewhere, she drives. As we pull out onto a street she will often ask me if I see any cars coming. I usually give the same humorous response “No, I don't see anything.” She has since caught on and now just asks me to lean back so she can see for herself. After all, she's the one driving so the destination and the way the trip goes is really up to her. Just as when I go cycling, the destination and the trip is up to me. Of course, I do have to be a bit more cautious.
I have driven before and often tell my passengers “Oh by the way... :-) “.
I realized the other night how this mirrored my Christian life. Often times we were on a journey or a mission only to rely on someone who was half blind and really didn't see what was coming. They always seemed to be going off of directions someone else told them. Often times never relying on their own eyes and never looking to see what was really coming.
Instead we were expected to just pull out into the road on “Blind Faith.” “Don't look, don't ask, and never question about the directions I have given you. Just have faith and go!” Yes just pull out and do what you're told. While you are told you are the driver of your life, you are stuck with a half-blind guide in the passenger seat who is giving you the driving directions. Often it is usually your pastor or church leader and sometimes a friend or relative who just seems to “know better than you”.
Ever notice that when a Christian claims to know more or better than you, that their lives are usually more messed up than yours? And yet somehow they feel that they have more life experience and life knowledge and wisdom over you. And yet, they can't get their life together.
I have some younger friends who act like this. They lost their home due to a bad business deal, which everyone else already knew would go bad because the other guy was a lying snake. They lost their family in a nasty divorce and spend their weekends drunk trying to wash it all away, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Yet somehow they are enlightened while YOU are naive and in the dark compared to them. Somehow YOU are the one who was lost and in need of their god. Yes, this person prays for me “to see the light” as they do. Yeah, you might want to check the brightness switch buddy.
Try and question this guide and you get threatened with being run off the road. They will threaten you with not having enough faith in the “divine GPS” (god, holy spirit or Jesus) your guide uses. You will be accused of just not being with the program. You will often find yourself surround by other drivers who will corner you and tell you how wrong you are. Many of them will have major body damage on their cars or be on their second, third, fourth...car.
Am I actually expected to take driving directions from someone who is always wrecking their car? That is what it was like in church and being a Xian.
But that was then. Now I chose my direction and I look closely at what's coming. I evaluate the directions and make sure they make sense before I follow them, not try to figure them out along the way. Hell, even physically half-blind I still see better than most of my Xian friends.
So the next time some Xian tries to get you to follow their directions just look at them and say “No thanks, I'll walk.”
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