Monday, October 17, 2011

Is Your Faith Co-Dependant?

Last weekend I was talking with my brother-in-law, just shooting the breeze, and we got onto the topic of cell phones, hew they have completely ruined our lives. Not in the way most people think about always being called, but how people have lost the ability to make decisions and whenever they are caught in any sort of quandary they pick up their cell phone and call someone else. They don't take any time to try and solve the problem themselves, that's too much effort. Quick, call someone. Look it up on Google. Text a friend. We don't like to solve problems ourselves...

I've noticed this more and more just in life. Something doesn't work, ask the person next to you what to do. I've had a few issues in the last couple of weeks where something electronic doesn't perform right, and immediately I'm asked to fix it. I don't know what these people expect, I don't have any more magical powers than they do over electronics. I had one a while back, all I asked "Did you check to see if it was plugged in?" I was answered with a blank stare. They hadn't even checked the basics.

Sometimes it's not even something went wrong, people just don't want to take the time and effort to make a decision. The other day I was thanked for picking a restaurant. Is it really that hard to decide what we want to eat for ourselves?

So today in my wanderings I started wondering, do we do this with God? Is our faith entirely made up of what others tell me to do? I've noticed people will join a Bible Study once they are invited to one they like. The sad part is if that doesn't happen, generally the next step isn't do the work to find one themselves or even start a Bible Study, it's simply not go. Either find me the place to learn about my faith for me or I won't go. How many people do you think would not be at Church Sunday morning if someone else didn't encourage them to go? Even some of the holiest people I know still needed someone to wake them up.

I don't know, I don't think someone should have to find me a place to serve, if I'm supposed to be serving (which I am), I should be finding that. If I'm supposed to be reading my Bible, I shouldn't have to wait for someone else to give me a devotional as a gift. If I'm supposed to be praying, I shouldn't be waiting for someone else to plan a prayer night and then invite me. The fundamentals of our faith can't be dependant on others, shouldn't we be doing that ourselves?

T

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