Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”
- John 20.17 (The Message)
I’m sure you’ve heard the ol’ saw, “So close yet so far away.” This folksy proverb illustrates many situations in life. For example, to be estranged from someone you love; to be one game away from winning the World Series (sorry, I don’t mean to dredge up painful memories!); or even to lust after that swordfish steak nestled just beyond the glass, and just beyond the constraints of your budget. So close, yet so far away.
This adage often illustrates our relationship with God as well. We want to be near God so we cling tightly. And this very clinging separates us from God. For example, when we cling to our notion of God as the true notion, we fall short of intimacy with God. God is always more than our intellect can grasp or our language express; and the only way to know God is to let God be free, to liberate God from our attempts to define and control. It would be so much easier if God met our expectations and performed as we desire. But such a god is not God; not the great I Am, not the mystery speaking from the whirlwind, and certainly not the Creator of all things. So close yet so far away.
Again, we miss the fullness of life God offers when we cling fearfully to God, refusing to spread our wings and soar on the Spirit to new vistas of life and faith we never dreamed possible. In this case as well, we remain so close yet so far away.
So perhaps we should take Jesus’ advice, and draw near to God by letting go. It sounds counter intuitive, but take my word for it; it works.
This adage often illustrates our relationship with God as well. We want to be near God so we cling tightly. And this very clinging separates us from God. For example, when we cling to our notion of God as the true notion, we fall short of intimacy with God. God is always more than our intellect can grasp or our language express; and the only way to know God is to let God be free, to liberate God from our attempts to define and control. It would be so much easier if God met our expectations and performed as we desire. But such a god is not God; not the great I Am, not the mystery speaking from the whirlwind, and certainly not the Creator of all things. So close yet so far away.
Again, we miss the fullness of life God offers when we cling fearfully to God, refusing to spread our wings and soar on the Spirit to new vistas of life and faith we never dreamed possible. In this case as well, we remain so close yet so far away.
So perhaps we should take Jesus’ advice, and draw near to God by letting go. It sounds counter intuitive, but take my word for it; it works.
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