Reflections by Chuck Cluff, Atherton resident since 2004
Passage: 1 Corinthians 1:9
It would be nice if we were consistent without waver; always at the highest level we have reached in our God relationship and experience, but that’s not to be. Sometimes we feel amazingly close to God and at other times, it’s just not there. It can be very disappointing if our expectations don’t factor in the variations of human nature. Human nature is moody. In some the spread of mood is more noticeable than in others, but it is always there. If we don’t recognize this when we have spiritual fluctuations we will chide ourselves while feeling something is wrong. Just as our bodies have biorhythms so do our minds and apparently also, our spirits.
Everyone who has been in a sport knows you never always feel the same in competition. Some days you are really on and other days you can’t seem to get to your zenith performance, or even just a good one, no matter how hard you try. For years there have been studies attempting to figure out why these differences occur and how they can be regulated and overcome: sleep, diet, attitude, circumstances?
Another area we see the clear challenge to consistency is in our concentration. Sometimes our minds are very lucid and keen; we have unusual attention so we can focus on a job with all our senses joining to get it done. Creativity is at a peak during these times. On other occasions we just can’t seem to concentrate at all. Our minds keep wandering, pulling us away from what we need to do, sometimes have to do. Writers certainly know what we are talking about. This is very frustrating.
Now, what about the spiritual. No difference! Sometimes we feel incredibly close to God; other times we wonder where God took off to? Oh we know he is there, but it is just head awareness. The close feelings we have known we just can’t get ahold of. So what do we do? 1. Remember we are, by nature, imperfect. We have moods. 2. Don’t worry about it. It is how a relationship goes when one perfect and another imperfect relate. 3. Know it’s only temporary. All will get back in order in the days ahead. It will be very good again! 4. Don’t chide ourselves in these seemingly bleak times. Trust God because nothing has changed. God meets us seeing the good times while we are in the struggling ones. 5. And always, hang loose. God doesn’t expect any more from us than we are at the time. Phew, what a relief!
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