Bin the Formula

It's interesting to see how much we try to lean on formulas. It's said that we're creatures of habit and it shows in the church and in our walk with God as well. I think God created us to be that way and it's not something to look down on necessarily, but there is one pattern I've found emerging in me. I like to be able to lean on a standard formula for solving life's problems, like knowing what to do in the future or how to deal with sin. But if I dig a little deeper, I begin to uncover the real motive - to be able to manage on my own and get rid of this awkward depending-on-God thing. It's amazing how many times we have to lean on God for last second provisions, and yet we quickly forget that that's exactly how we are meant to live all of our lives: leaning on God. The Bible even instructs us: lean not on your own understanding. To take the step away from self-sufficiency and into God's all-sufficiency is very difficult and turns out to be a lifetime of learning. It can't be any other way though, because the truth is that our self-sufficiency is a well-preserved illusion.