Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Excerpt from "Searching For God Knows What" by Donald Miller

"I know there are people who have actually gone from misery to happiness, but they didn't do it by walking through three steps; they did it because they have a certain set of parents and heard a certain song and knew somebody who had a certain experience and saw some movie, read some book, had something happen to them like a car wreck or a trip to Seattle. Then they called on God, and a week later read something in a magazine or met a girl in Wichita, and when all this had happened they had an epiphany, and somebody may have helped them fulfill what this epiphany made them feel, and several years later they rationalized this mystic experience with three steps, then they told the three steps to us in a book. I'm not saying they weren't trying to be helpful; I bring this us only because life is complex, and the idea that you can break it down or fix it in a few steps is rather silly.

The truth is there are a million steps, and we don't even know what the steps are, and worse, at any given moment we may not be willing or even able to take them; and still worse, they are different for you and me and they are always changing. I have come to believe the sooner we find this truth beautiful, the sooner we will fall in love with the God who keeps shaking things up, keeps changing the path, keeps rocking the boat to test our faith in Him, teaching us not to rely on easy answers, bullet points, magic mantras, or genies in lamps, but rather in His guidance, His existence, His mercy, and His love."

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:21 PM

    You almost lost me with the car wreck and the girl in Witchita and everything but I agree with you that things aren't always easily fixed or sometimes gotten over for that matter.
    Love you lots,
    Mom

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  2. Anonymous10:55 PM

    i think you would really enjoy the new book Brown Like Coffee at brownlikecoffee.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous3:07 PM

    Thanks
    I needed to read this, Two weeks ago I almost took my own life , because of life situation. I need to remember that God is here with me even when things are being shaken. Imstillhere

    ReplyDelete