Amazing if you think about it. Think about it.

It seems that every time I read the Bible these days, I find myself criticizing people who have encounters with God. I get frustrated when they don't listen. It's like "Oi, it's GOD speaking to you. How about actually taking advice from the one who, oh, I don't know, created this universe? He might know what He's talking about?"

- _ -

But then I realize that I'm assuming that the mind is always logical. That people always reason. Which of course, it isn't and we don't.

It's actually quite funny how easy it is to completely disregard logic. And by funny, I mean a stupid kind of funny. Which is also a sad kind of funny. A kind of funny that makes me stop and think about changing my life. Okay, maybe funny isn't the right word for this. But you know what I mean.

Take for example phobias. I don't like slugs. I really don't like slugs. But it goes past merely disliking them. It even goes past really really hating them. I'm actually scared of them. I can't pick them up. Or touch them. Or be near enough them that someone could push me over and I'll fall over near it. They scare me. It's a combination of how slimy they are and how they move so slowly, but then suddenly curl up when you touch them. It creeps me out so bad.

But in my mind I know that they can't do me any harm. I could squish it, throw it away, or do whatever to it, and it won't do anything that comes close to physically harming me. Yet this knowledge doesn't help at all. I still absolutely detest the thought of being in the same room as one.

I believe that God is intelligent. I believe that He knows all the possible outcomes to any and all situations. I believe that He knows all of my characteristics, all my flaws, all my fears, my strengths, my weaknesses; everything about me. Yet if He told me right now (and I absolutely knew in my heart that it was He who spoke) to move to a third world country to build a church... well, I wouldn't know what I would do, but something tells me that if I could, I would do all in my power to not go. Even if He said it was where I would be happiest, where I would make the biggest change, where I would impact the most lives for Christ.

Emotion can easily overpower reason. And reason dictates that the creator and ruler of this universe would know more than me. Therefore if said creator and I disagreed on what my ideal future is, chances are, he's the one who is right.

Emotion can easily overpower logic. And logic dictates that our emotions constantly change; therefore if we base our lives on our emotions, our opinions on any issue will fluctuate according to the situations that change and govern our emotions, which would make life just one big rollercoaster ride with no stability or foundation or direction.

Yet, knowing all this, I still have the nagging feeling that I would try and gap.

You'd think that it would be a lot easier than it actually is to obey an infinite being who loves us very much. The truth is, being brought up in this world makes it difficult to see beyond the immediate and obvious consequences of any given action. It's hard to see the big picture, and even harder to follow God when He gives us tasks that will fullfill the big picture. But I suppose if we always saw what was best, we would might not ever need faith, or trust, and therefore we would never truly believe with all our heart that God does love us as much as He does.

As for leaving you with a tip to help you live out this difficult aspect of the Christian walk... well, I'm afraid I have nothing more helpful to say than this: Listen and obey.

And yes, I did steal that line from someone.