Getting Out of the Spiritual Sand Trap

July 1, 2015 | ziononth | 2 Comments | Pastor's Blog

Jesus says in Matthew 7: Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

On Sunday we talked about why people would want to build their spiritual houses on sand, knowing the looming spiritual hurricanes, floods, sharks, and other disasters that are always close when we have no regard for warning signs, and the reason is: people want to be as close to the ocean as possible, no matter the cost. They want to be as close to paradise as possible, and they feel they can deal with the consequences or they believe those consequences won’t come. It’s the risk of paradise.

For some people, building on the shaky ground is pulling together notions of God from other religions to give them their “perfect” God. For some, it’s believing that God helps those who help themselves; they remove their trust in God and replace it with self-endowment. And for others, it’s believing they can have theology their way; they cut and paste the Word of God to fit their needs or beliefs instead of God’s Word shaping them and calling them to walk away from beliefs that they won’t let go of presently. And on and on and on.

I identified three reasons or ways that people continue to build on the sand, when generations of experience and wisdom tell us that these attachments to the world will crumble around us, and those reasons or ways are: (1) it’s a sentimental tie (an emotional attachment), (2) we ignore God’s insurance agents (the warnings of the prophets, apostles, pastors, and other Christians), and (3) we want to do it because everyone is doing it (everyone else is buying that beachfront property [indulging in that worldly behavior] and we want to be a part of that crowd).

Today I would like to address those patterns of foolish behavior and how we can overcome their pull on us:

(1) It’s a sentimental tie

We as Lutherans don’t do well when it comes to addressing emotions, and because of it, we will continue to have a harder and harder time reaching people. We pride ourselves on the logic of the black and white of God’s Word.

Logic will only get you so far. Whether we are male or female, when a topic for discussion is approached from a purely logical perspective on the one side, and from an emotional perspective on the other, the emotional argument almost always wins. Logically, if you know you need to quit abusing heroin because your health is at risk, when presented with the emotional euphoria one has when under the influence of heroin, the feel-good emotion of how your body feels vs. not having that high usually wins out. We know that the emotional response people have to drugs makes it very difficult to beat the addiction.

The easiest way to battle the emotional reaction someone is going to have to leaving a sinful desire behind is to cause a bigger emotional attachment to the positive outcome. If you can successfully cast a vision of what life can look like without heroin, and attach someone to that, there is hope. Imagine what you can do with that extra money. Imagine what it would be like to not have to lie to people all the time. Imagine not wondering if today you are going to get arrested.

And in comes Christ. Getting from heroin to heroin-free doesn’t happen easily. The body will kick and scream because it enjoys that connection to what feels good. Jesus invites us to feel the emotion of what it meant to pay for our salvation. He invites us to understand that the power to overcome is tied to struggle. Very few victories are won without some type of pain. Jesus invites us to view the freedom from addiction alongside of our salvation. Every agonizing second, every blood-tainted bead of sweat, every internal scream for relief, gives us a sense of Jesus’ work for us and radically builds us into that follower of Jesus that He invites us to be. Jesus knew the tie to happiness when He took on flesh, but He also knew the reality of sin, and that sin was not going to be overcome by happiness. Positive thinking doesn’t always birth the outcome we hope. Emotional turmoil helps build the character we need to trust that the way of God is higher than the mountaintops we sit on as we revel in our own wants.

So, if there is that sentimental, emotional tie that you are struggling with, paint for yourself a vision of what release looks like, bind yourself to it, and invite Christ to help you and carry you if necessary.

(2) We ignore God’s insurance agents

We believe we know better. We believe we can have our cake and eat it to. Sometimes you can. But often we must draw the line and know that staying away from the boundary line is better than always stretching our hand over it to see what will happen.

Sometimes false prophets do show up and give us a corrupted message. Scripture continually calls us to examine what the “prophets” say and measure their words against the Bible.

Seems easy enough and we would nod our head in affirmation. But then, the reality of what we’d have to give up enters into our hearts and minds. The comfort we have. The identity we have. The steadfast belief that the way we’ve always done it will win the day far after we are gone.

What if the insurance agent says the place we’ve built our spiritual house isn’t sustainable? And the word of God confirms it? What if God’s prophets call you to pruning that beachfront property that, because of erosion, now is on shaky ground and circumstances have become more risky? Perhaps the job you once had no longer holds the values  it once did. Perhaps there has been an erosion in the morality of what you are called to do. The money is great, but you risk your soul. Are you listening to what people are warning you about? Is the Spirit getting easier and easier to ignore because the big paycheck makes your retirement look better and the nicer car feels good?

Ignoring those who might be able to help or save is an issue of arrogance or selfishness, perhaps mixed with worry about an unseen future. We will never be able to fully see the outcome of what lies ahead because we aren’t God. The only way to deal with it is to let God be God and trust that He will guide. Do your homework (study His Word and every relevant piece of worldly data you can get your hands on). Oh yeah, and trust (if you can) that those prophets are not there to destroy you, but snatch you from disaster. Not everyone is evil.

(3) We want to do it because everyone else is doing it

Life can get pretty lonely when your house is smaller, farther away, and not quite as glamorous as those that touch that white sand. Envy and the need for acceptance are two battles all of us have faced. Our spiritual houses can be built on our worldly houses of possessions or titles. Don’t accept that this has to be or is your legacy. There are always other friends, if those who have such false values can be called friends, and there will be other places to have your house that reflect who you are and the opportunities you want to have.

I read an article recently that said there is a psychology to why we should spend our money on experiences as opposed to possessions. Experiences last. There memories shape us and the people we share them with create opportunities that material things don’t. The allure of the next big thing fades. Fads of stuff and ideas are always in flux. We get bored easy. We’ll always pursue more stuff if that is who we are. But, if we spend our time, energy, and money on experiences, those can’t be taken away or replaced by something better because they are personal to you and those you love. You’ll find more fulfillment over the course of your life if you aren’t tied to a particular thing, but enriching yourself and those around you. We’re given permission to have fun. Experience what God has blessed us with, like Disney World, Cedar Point, and Outback Steakhouse.

————

There are many alternatives to the risk of paradise. Paradise will always have it’s magnetism because sand makes us go weak in the knees. The world is full of sand. The world is full of Paradise Islands. We already had one Paradise and we messed it up. Allow God to help you not take His Paradise for granted. Amen.