Nathan Wilson | How big is your god?

Published 12:02 pm Wednesday, September 21, 2016

By: Nathan Wilson | Editor of “Faith & Values”

My view of God influences how I live. Said the other way, how I live my life, largely results from my view of God.

The decisions I make, the chances I take, the depth of my relationships, the ways I celebrate and suffer, worship and work, help and hope – in short, how I live my life – results from my view of God.

If I view God as distant and uncaring, I am likely to act in ways that are uncertain, timid and passive.  When the going gets rough, as it will, I might give in, give up or give out, because I’m not sure that God is really there, really engaged or really cares.  My tomorrow is likely to be the same as my yesterday since the unpredictability of change makes growth undesirable.

On the other hand, if I view God as dependable, present and utterly loving, I am likely to act in ways that are confident, trusting and even daring.  I know the security of God’s acceptance and the reliability of God’s promises, therefore growth and change are adventures to embrace. Yes, they are still unpredictable, but they can be embraced because God is trustworthy.

With a big and dependable God, I am allowed, even encouraged, to live a big life.  What is a big life, you ask?

First of all, a big life snatches all life has to offer, and even squeezes out a little more.  I like this quote from Ray Bradbury: “I do wish to run, to seize this greatest time in all the history of man to be alive, to stuff my senses with it, to eye it, touch it, listen to it, smell it, taste it, and hope that others will run with me, pursuing and pursued by ideas.”

A big life snatches all life has and squeezes out more.

Second, a big life shares with others.  You have gifts the world needs.  What exactly are your gifts and who exactly needs them?  I don’t know, but they are there.

As a friend puts it, “Maybe your song won’t be sung on David Letterman.  It may never make the top-40 list. But somebody out there needs to hear it. Maybe it’s the 92-year-old who lives next door, who giggles every time she overhears you sing, ‘I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Weiner’ outside her bedroom window. Isn’t that enough?”

It is. A big life shares with others.

So go on now, get out there and live a big life. It’s okay, because thankfully, yours is a big God!

Rev Wilson, a native of Nicholasville, is editor of “Faith & Values” for The Indianapolis Star and writer of the weekly “Faith Matters” column.  He will guest preach at Nicholasville Christian Church, 104 S 2nd St, on September 25 at 10:45 am.  Contact the church for more at 885-4311.