When I consider what gets in the way of our ability to notice the presence and working of God in our lives, these are some of the things on my short list that come up for me.
1. Personal agenda - This includes our plans, our personal wants, our desires, and the things that are of the utmost priority for us in our time with God. Questions floating in the back of our mind like, what do I want out of this relationship now? or What’s in it for me? We may not realize it, but we all carry around an agenda, either overtly or subtly. Our agendas must be put aside to be open to what God would have for us.
2. Previous expectations- In every relationship we come to have expectations. Our relationship with God is no different. If we have spent time with God in the past, we have had experiences with God and come to develop certain expectations with God. We come to look for those same experiences as we continue in relationship with God and therefore, we are not open to other ways in which God might meet us now.
3. Judgmental attitudes- Many of us are quick to rush to judgement. We are constantly evaluating and making decisions based upon what we hear, see, or believe to be true. Our past choices also come into play as to how we make judgments now. Because of this we may ignore how God may be speaking into our lives. Remember we do judge or discern in positive ways, but in this case it is about limiting ourselves. It is about not having the openness to something as being from God and the speed at which we decide to be closed to those very possibilities, because we have determined that it can’t be.
4. Noise – The other day I went for a hike with my family. The kids were making all kinds of noise and I had a hard time taking in God’s creation. The noise that we bring with us either internally or externally makes it impossible to hear God call to us. In UTNE Reader, Kathleen Dean Moore writes, Gears grinding, woofers thudding, trucks beeping, and street-corner preachers calling down damnation on it all– What does it do to the human being, whose ears evolved as a warning system? Whether or not our ears were meant for an early warning system or not, our ears and hearts are intended to be able to hear the voice of the creator. But there is much distraction and we must try to leave it behind as we move toward God.
5. Self importance – Part of our make up as humans is our sense of importance. As we travel with God we mus lay aside our selfishness and put God and others first.
6. Time Constraints - As we travel on the journey we need to take the opportunities as they come. We need to make ourselves available without limits in our relationship with God. God does not operate within our personal time schedules. If we desire to walk with Him we need to be on his timetable.
7. Tunnel vision - Walking any path requires that we keep our eyes open to all that is around us. As we walk with Christ we must have our eyes, ears, and hearts wide open to take in what God delights in showing us. Keep the blinders at home.
This brief list of attitudes, expectations and constraints hinders our progress on the path with God. Perhaps you have others that you would include on this list. If so, please feel free to share them.
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I would add fear. So much of what we decide is based on worry over the future, over what others think, over being judged. But I like the list you have here, and I wonder which are easier to leave behind out of our will, and which are nearly impossible to leave behind without surrendering in defeat, at the end of our will.
I too would include fear and anxiety. Jesus definitely spoke to us about those things, as they do hinder us. Thanks for taking time to consider this.
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