You're Okay, I'm Okay

You’re Okay, I’m Okay

I follow a blogger who tells people not to eat pork (because it is commanded in Deut 14:8) and that they must celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (because it is commanded Deut 16:13) and must not celebrate Halloween, Christmas and Easter (because they are Pagan Deut 12:29-32). He challenges me to study and think and pray. He irritates me. He encourages me. I enjoy following him! (He is also not going to change my personal relationship with God.)

I believe each person has a relationship with God that is personal and unique and no one else can understand it. My relationship with my mom is different than with my dad. My relationship with my brother is different than with my sister-in-law. Each of us has a different relationship with God that is solely ours and it looks different from anyone else’s.

Our fault is when we try to make other’s relationship with God look like ours. I think we do this everyday! We judge others tattoos, their clothes, how they drive, their posts on FB and their actions or lack of. Everyday, we say (in our minds, of course), “What are they doing?”, “I would never…”, “They should…”. We judge others according to OUR intimate relationship with God.

So, am I saying this blogger should eat pork? No. Am I saying he is wrong for celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles and not Halloween, Christmas and Easter? No. But I do think he is wrong for telling others they SHOULD act in the same manner he does because he is right and we are wrong and we have interpreted the Scriptures wrong. I do not agree that God leads everyone to have the exact same cookie-cutter relationship with Him as everyone else.

To go one step more personal, I am a writer. I have to be very careful I do not interject my personal relationship into my writing that makes people feel like I think my way is the only way. (I’m not speaking of Jesus. He IS the ONLY way.) I’m speaking of all the disputable matters we find ourselves squabbling over like denominations, music, women, service, building etc.

Some issues are obvious like don’t murder and don’t steal etc. However, I pray I never interject my personal, unique connection and dependence on God into a package that I try and make you adhere to also. A relationship with God does not work that way. Each of us is at a different mile marker than our neighbor. Some of us have passed Forgiveness and some of us have Forgiveness as the next rest stop. Some of us rest quickly and keep moving. Some of us pitch a tent and stay for days, weeks or years until we finally give God the wheel. Sometimes we zoom fast. Sometimes we get flat tires and have to make repairs before we can move forward. Sometimes we even take U-turns as God beckons us to keep moving forward. We know we have the Roadside Assistance (Bible) to help us with our flat tires, our dead batteries and our towing needs, but sadly, we don't use it.

So, evaluate yourself and your motives for judging others (even subconsciously). Have you lost friends because they don’t fit into YOUR neatly wrapped box or they are not on the same road as you are? Do you come off as rigid and unwelcoming when you encounter someone who does not meet YOUR ‘spiritual’ guidelines? These are good questions to ponder keeping in mind your personal relationship with God...and theirs.