Subtitling God?
Category: Faith...
Posted Tuesday, November 06, 2007 at 05:05 PM [GMT-6]

Repairs on our treadmill were completed last week, putting a big dent in our checking account along with an equally big smile on my wife's face as she no longer has to endure the boredom of an exercise bike during her 5:00 am workouts.

One of the amazing things about the reinvigorated device, sporting a new motor and running tread, is its quietness. Over the past couple of years, as the motor bearings wore out and the tread lost its lubrication, the machine grew louder and louder, to the point where I had to activate subtitles on the DVDs I watched as I ran because I couldn't hear the dialog. But the changes had occurred slowly, and we forgot how quiet the treadmill could – and should – be.

I think my relationship with God is sometimes like that treadmill. Over time, gradually, I allow – or create – distractions and filters that eventually make it hard for me to hear His voice. I start looking for subtitles to help me understand His will, rather than going straight to the Source.

Do you have any subtitles in your spiritual life? Do you spend more time reading books about the Bible or Jesus than you do reading the Bible itself? Do you spend more time listening to Christian talk radio than listening to God in prayer? Do you engage in the things of God, rather than God Himself? I confess my guilt in all of these areas.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that those things are bad or even unhelpful. God uses others to speak to us, and we should be sensitive and grateful when He does, but I believe He prefers the direct conversations.

Subtitles aren't always accurate representations of the actual dialog; they don't always communicate the right meaning. Fortunately, God doesn't need subtitles to get His message across, if we'll quieten the distractions around us, however good-intentioned they may be.