Discipleship and Complacency: Part 2

What complacency looks like, according to
Google Images.

There's a lot that's been happening over the past couple of days. Of course, the media has been flooded with stories and opinions regarding Susan G. Komen for the Cure's decision or non-decision to cease funding Planned Parenthood. Where it will end seems to still be up in the air.The Obama administration's mandate that Catholic institutions have to start covering contraceptives is also receiving a strong back lash. If you haven't yet, sign this petition on the White House's website. If it get's over 25,000 signatures (which it looks set to get) then the White House has to issue an official response. It'd be interesting to see what they say.

Personally, there's been a bunch happening too. People seem to be having babies left and right (a very good thing), my own personal to-do list seems to be growing each day, and Alan is learning how to "wave" (a very humorous process, especially when you catch him practicing waving alone in his crib). Liz and I have full weekend ahead, with many things to get done but also many opportunities for some relaxation. All in all, it's a lot to keep track of.

But as the week has gone on, and the details have become increasingly loud, my mind has been continually drawn back to the thoughts I wrote about on Wednesday: discipleship and complacency. Indeed, though life seems rather hectic right now, the themes of discipleship and complacency seem right at the forefront. I'm not sure why, but it truly has struck me how  few times in my life I have woken up and said to myself, "Today I want to love God more than I did yesterday." This sentiment has always been underlying all of my thoughts and my words, but in the past week it's really struck me how important it is that this sentiment not remain just a mere sentiment, and most important, that it not remain in the "underlying" part of my life. There a lot of things in life that can remain unconscious, like the habit of going to the gym or the proper form for washing the dishes. Increasing my love for God, for Jesus, is not one of those things though.

And oddly enough, the busyness of this time period has only seemed to strengthen this conviction. This is especially odd because it is normally busyness that frightens the desire to love God back into its hole in the consciousness. As things become busier, as the details become increasingly complex, we naturally (or, more precisely, unnaturally) start to focus on them. Being human beings of limited strength and capacity, we move our priorities around so that we can tackle the different tasks at hand. When we do so, the conscious desire to love God more and more becomes unconscious, and once it becomes unconscious it slowly begins to become non-existent. Instead, we become satisfied with being "good" or at least "good enough".

But as I said, the busyness of this week has only seemed to add to my conviction to consciously remember, each and every day, that I have the opportunity to know God more, love Him more, and most important, allow Him to love me more. By consciously bringing this to mind, the busyness seems to just fall into place. It is no longer a huge burden that must be focused on, but the tasks at hand become like simple gestures done in the presence of a loved one.The to-do list no longer becomes something that "has to get done" but becomes something that "gets to be done", even the more burdensome things like work and chores.

Of course, it may just be this week for some reason. Next week, I may begin to become over focused on the details of life once again. I hope not, but I know I am fallen. If I do, though, I know God will bring me back to the desire to love Him more and more. In His patience, He always does.