Less is More

As you may have gathered I have been away for a break with my family over the last few days. One of the things that having a little spare time does for you is give you time to think. So as I was reflecting I began to contemplate what I see as the major messages for me from God this year; I decided there were three:

The first was to slow down; as in the concept of "less is more"; I must try to do less; to acheive more. That may sound like a contradiction in terms, but what I think God is looking for depth in an area, not width. I find that I like to know a little about a lot and God for me seems to be saying I need to know  a lot  about a little  i.e. depth in an area. I have slowed right down. Chapters of a devotional that would take me a week to read are now taking me a month. I am using a smorgasbord of resources rather than sticking to a select few. I am finding that God is speaking quite clearly.

The second on the list is that there is God factor in all of us. No matter how far people are from God there is some of the Glory of God, if you look hard enough. I guess the challenge to me is to make the effort to look....... in some cases it takes real effort.There is an element of the elder son (in the Prodigal Son story) in my life and this often causes me to judge; but in doing this, it shows how little I understand the love of the Father. I 'll keep you posted on how that goes.....still very much a work in progress. I am reading through "A Culture of Honour" by Danny Silk, but the concept is being reinforced so many other places, it is quite scary.

Last but certainly not least is the; "darkness or sin factor". I guess its  about the fact we are all prodigal sons and daughters; we are all moving away from the Father at various levels on a daily basis. As I turn back to be with the Father, I realise more and more the dirt of daily life I bring with me; it just seems to be hard sometimes. In some ways I feel I am just as prodigal  as the day I was first saved.
St Teresa of Avila put it this way.....
" The door by which we enter this castle is prayer. It is absurd to think we can enter heaven without first entering this castle and finding our own sinfulness and how much we owe God for our redemeption"

Paul