Every Thought Captive

What would it be like to think with every thought, every sensation, every tick of the clock of God's involvement in it? This morning I was a "good" Christian and bowed my head before eating my bowl full of Raisin Bran. Before I even completed the "Amen" I found my spoon in my mouth and my teeth crunching. My mind had already checked off prayer and gone on to the next thing. After profuse repentance I began to wonder, what if my senses were trained to be reminders for things like this? What if, with every bite of breakfast, I was reminded of how God's plan was involved? From the flavor of the cereal, to the way my tongue and brain were made to register it, to how it nourishes my body, and how God provided for it to be in a blue bowl purchased from Target to be set on a free table provided by a friend? I think my eyes would tear up, my gratefulness would overflow, and my brain would explode. 

Can You Pursue Independence and Perfection?

In the pursuit of perfection, have you ever wondered if we're not called away from a Western idea of independence? We're used to the lessons of our childhood helping us to grow and develop as our own person in the pursuit of one day living on our own. We're raised to be separate, and in the best case scenario, to do it in a healthy and stable way. But the idea of perfection in Christianity seems to call us to be increasingly dependent.

Brother Lawrence puts it like this, "The more we aspire to be perfect, the more dependent we are on the grace of God. We begin to need His help with every little thing and at every moment, because without it we can do nothing."The Trinity is perfect, the closer I come to an understanding relationship with that which is perfect, the more of a contrast my own life becomes. Then I begin to see, perfection is not possible. Not in my current mindset of independence. It's one of the only areas in my life, where the more I learn, the less independent I become.