I have a need to box God. To give God a pronoun: Him or Her? To turn God into something tangible, describable, understandable. I have a need to know God as if God is a subject/object to be dissected and studied.
The ancient Hebrews had the same problem. While Moses was up on the mountain, they started to wander off. They needed something they can call God, something real that they can control. Something made in their image. So they made a Cow. (who says the Bible has no sense of humour?) . At least it was a fancy Cow, solid gold.
They worshiped it. They were ready to give their lives for it.
Meanwhile Moses is having a great time with God. Towards the end of the conversation, Moses communicates the same need as his friends down at the foot. He also wants to see God. Like we all do.
But then God shows him nothing but God’s backside. Some old Jews translated it to the “fresh footprints of God”.
That’s all he got, footprints.
We can’t take God home. We can’t carry God around. In the words of Rob Bell, “God is heavy”.
All that we can do is follow the direction in which the footprints are heading.
I have been dragging a Fat Cow around hoping it was God. No wonder I struggle. No wonder I am tired of religion. No wonder I feel disconnected with my True Self.
So today I am letting God out, but the Cow is heading straight for the box.
3 comments:
It would've been gr8 if we could see GOD. Invite him over for a braai. My parents brought me and my sister up in the "Hervormde Kerk' and we grew up with what they believed and do.
About 7 years ago I changed to the NG Kerk whitch was still very old down in Sterkstroom - Farming comunity in the Eastern Cape.
Then about 3 years ago I got divorced and was really angry with GOD...
I met a wonderfull girl and recently got married again. We together went out...looking for GOD again to invite him back in our lives. And we got caught in the Weltevreden Services. Its been gr8 ever since.
I think what I actually want to say is that we found GOD, and loving it at the moment just to go to church and listen to whats been said. To meet up with GOD again. The way you(Fourie) are doing it at the moment ar really grabbing. I know from what I alrady read in this block that some will dissagree but I like your way and believe that we will all walk much stronger out of this.
KEEP UP DOING IT AND WE WILL KEEP FOLLOWING IT....
"...the journey of Moses after winning the freedom of the Israelites in Egypt and leading them on the path to the “promised land”. At a point on the journey, when Moses is in spiritual retreat seeking guidance from God, his followers begin to doubt the idea of the “promised land”. They see that the path ahead is difficult and beset with danger and their confidence flags. The road sign is clear but it points to a path that they are not sure they have the courage for. Some among them propose to build a symbol of worship where they are encamped – indicating that they choose to worship the road sign instead. This new idea catches on and soon they have support to build a golden calf - not a stone or a wooden image but one made of gold. God’s response is to make this recently liberated group of people wander in the desert for 40 years. One generation of this group has to die in the desert because they are un-transformable. The idea of an ability to freely search for truth is so inimical to their understanding of the world that a new generation, unfettered by the limits of a world view constructed in a time of slavery, will have to pick up the path. In our daily lives as researchers (humans) and intellectuals, we must be careful not to be counted amongst those who have to die in the desert because we hold so rigidly to our theories that we are unable to even contemplate the possibility of a light being shone on our subjects from another direction. It is the possibility of an alternative view that makes our lives as researchers so exciting – and this is to be celebrated." - Yunus Ballim
i applaud you journey
the signs are hidden and exciting
Harold, thanx for a wonderful piece from the mind of Ballim.
How sad to be so close to the Promised Land, but yet so far because your heart is still holding on to your life as a slave.
I hope to be part of the generation "unfettered by the limits of a world view constructed in a time of slavery".
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