As I have been traveling the path of Asymmetric Faith, one thing that has aroused my attention is the state of my perception of all things Christendom. That is to say, I’ve struggled with finding a balance of being “wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove” versus the mentality of nothing is good and I don’t want to be taken in by anyone.
It reminds me of dwarves.
I’m not talking about actual people who have a genetic dwarfism. I’m speaking of dwarves in folklore such as in Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. Of course, both of those sets of fiction have great spiritual pictures in them. In general, dwarves tend to be on the curmudgeonly side. Dwarves are good, solid individuals, provided they are good dwarves, but prickly at times. It’s in Chronicles of Narnia that I am particularly reminded of the perils of the Dwarves. Throughout the series, there are dwarves that are good and dwarves that are bad. In one of the opening books (depending on how you read them), we see a dwarf serving the white witch (Ginarrbrik). However, we also see dwarves throughout Narnian lore that were good.
Unfortunately, in The Last Battle, the dwarves had grown tired of being on anyone’s side. Instead, they became a source unto themselves and only stood up for themselves. They didn’t want to be taken in by either side: good or bad. In The Last Battle, the dwarves come into the redeemed Narnia but see only what they want to see, the inside of a prison. They do not want to be tricked or part of either side.
That’s the precipice I often find myself looking over and desperately trying to avoid.
If I stop and analyze what I see, I recognize a couple of things:
- My own arrogance would have me believe that God can only work through my efforts and any other formal religious structure is completely off base. That is, patently, false. To be sure, there are things that are not Biblical or “of God.” Otherwise, there wouldn’t be this site. However, to see that I’m the only one that God uses is ridiculous and is just a new form of the same old nonsense that we’re trying to avoid. God certainly uses what He wills and chooses to care for His people and guide them into a relationship with Himself.
- My rejection of everything else must have its limits. I SHOULD be rejecting everything that is drawing me away from an intimate relationship with my Savior. However, like a secret entrance to Narnia through an unexpected item or place (a wardrobe, a painting, a door in high stone wall), I should be looking for an entry into the presence of Jesus, my Savior.
- The hardness of my heart needs the tenderness of the Father to soften it once again. It’s so very easy, given the priorities of the days that drag to weeks to months to years, to lose heart of the child we are supposed to be when approaching the Father. The heart of a dwarf is much easier. Trust our own and everyone else is wrong. Don’t be taken in by anyone. Keep to our own. Instead, I need my Father to hold me and soften my heart again. Let His presence fill me to the overflowing so that I can share that love with others.
- This world and its systems are not my home. The atrocities of this world and how it works are not my final resting place. My resting place is in His presence and in His presence, everything this world has to offer me pales. I have a place waiting for me that is outside what I know in this world where I will be in the presence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forever.
- I’m not being pulled out of Christian culture to become cold in my faith. The point is to go “further up and further in” in our relationship with God, not to grow cold or “weary in well doing.” Further up and further in was the cry of those that had arrived in redeemed Narnia and a call to go closer to the Father.
So, as a warning to others on the asymmetric faith path, you MUST relentlessly seek to know the Father more each day. Seek intimacy with Jesus through times of devotional reading, prayer, and worship. Find people who help draw you into that closer relationship with God.
Part of what the Asymmetric Faith website is for is to help you have resources for this. Certainly, continue checking the site for more things that might help you develop your relationship with God in a Biblical fashion. However, as noted in the first bullet-point, we aren’t the only source for God’s movement. Let the Holy Spirit guide you to find other people around you to help you grow in your faith.
Ask Him. He WILL guide you into all Truth.
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