We are children of God. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1,3.
There is a God-space inside each one of us, because we are all made in the image of God. That God-space is not something we earn or create. There are many Biblical pictures of what that might be like within us. It could be a fire or flame that never goes out (Moses and the burning bush, Exodus 3:1-6). It could be a place of light, that darkness can never overcome (John 1:5). It might be living water, a spring that can never be contained (John 4:14). It could be a sense of warmth and love. It could be a place of perfect peace.
So often our thoughts and feelings rush around, and we can’t settle. There are so many things that demand our attention, that force themselves on us. The presence of God inside us never forces us. It is always inviting us, calling us, but never forcing us.
Growing as God’s children includes recognizing that God is at work deep inside us, and attending to the gift of that presence. Instead of just giving in, giving up, or becoming totally absorbed in something that is not right, take a calming breath, go deeper, and bring your fears and worries to the God place deep inside. My experience is that the issues lose their fierce intensity. When we take our sins and our failures there, we discover that the power they have to constantly accuse us is diminished. I think that this is a helpful way to understand the Bible verse at the top about purifying ourselves as Christ is pure. We take our sin and failures to Jesus, or to that God-space inside us, and we let him take the heat out of them for us.
Devotional time, reading God’s Word, joining in worship all help us to drop below our monkey mind with its incessant chatter and activity, into a deeper, more peaceful space. Being with other Christians helps us to witness to each other that faith and love are real, and that God is real and at work in each one of us.
What are the ways of connecting to God that work for you?
