The List

"Jesus now spoke again. 'Mack, I don't want to be the first among a list of values; I want to be at the center of everything. When I live in you, then together we can live through everything that happens to you. Rather than a pyramid, I want to be the center of a mobile, where everything in your life - your friends, family, occupation, thoughts, activities - is connected to Me but moves with the wind, in and out and back and forth, in an incredible dance of being." - WM Paul Young from The Shack

I have come to discover that a lot of Christians follow a mental list that goes something like this:-

God
Family and Friends
School (or Work)


We wake up in the morning, read a verse from the Book of Proverbs, pray for a few minutes, check God off of the list, and move on to our next job. Life becomes ritualistic and habitual. As long as we know that God is priority, we are satisfied and have a sense of justification for how we have conducted our day. But as human beings, we long for diversity. After a while, we get tired of routines and schedules, so we tend to leave out the more "boring" things and focus on what we enjoy most. It's just humanity!

This brings me back to the list. If you were at the top of someone's list, wouldn't you feel special? Every morning they call you, tell you what they need, probably thank you for what you gave them yesterday, and then hang up. For a few days you would enjoy it. But eventually the calls will sound rehearsed, like the monotonous tone of those bad actors who practice their lines again and again. You know that after the time that person spent talking to you, you're checked off of their mental list and not thought of again the whole day.

God doesn't want to be a chore. He doesn't want to be the General that you report to each morning and tell Him of your doings and needs. God wants to be at the center of of everything that you do. He wants to be in every choice that you make, in every word that you say. He wants to be your centripetal acceleration. In Physics, centripetal means "center-seeking", acceleration means "change in velocity", and velocity means "speed in a single direction." God wants to be the center you seek. He wants to change your velocity. He wants you to have a single direction towards Him. He wants to be what you are revolving around. I think God would rather we make everything we do centered around Him and His standards with such sincerity, rather than come to Him with an attitude of routine. Yes it is good to pray and read His Word. It is one of the strongest ways to grow, but don't fall into the habit of lists and customs! God has so many treasures and so much knowledge, that you will need to take Him into your whole day if you want to discover them.