Saturday, March 30 2024
Lost in a frenzy of unsettling thought? When you panic and “what if” yourself, you’re in the wilderness of desolation. You get carried away and flounder in the mindlessness of the outer country. Most of us dwell there – alone, confused, and scared.
When you are on auto-thought, throwing a fit, or stewing, you’ve been banished from the contentment of integration. Disturbance means separation, or dis-integration. But the Kingdom welcomes back. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise!” (Psalm 100:4)
Ah, but no one can kneel around the throne of God, looking up at his face forever. You’d get bored, your knees would tire, and you’d get a crick in your neck. Into the frosty wind you go, worrying, panicking, and wondering “how, when, where?” But then, you come to your senses. You pick up your laptop and write a lovely paragraph, lost in wonder, creativity, and delight. You get in the kitchen, bebop to some Whitney Houston, and whip up a delicious meal, lost in the compilation of ingredients. You hop on the piano and practice a lovely tune, immerse yourself in a good book, or you go to the gym. Don’t you know of the heavenly joys of riding a bicycle?
You vanish into the kingdom when you are focused and aware, and you banish yourself from it when your thoughts carry you away. To hell and back, I can assure you that heaven is more pleasant. If you want to dwell in the house of the Lord, get lost in some immersive activity, and the worries of hell vanish. If you want to be banished, get lost in worrisome thought. I want to dwell in the house of the Lord, forever; but I realize “forever” in this life means most of the time. When I come to my senses, I enter into his courts with praise.