Experiencing Life.

Imagine:

Sitting down with a good friend. You're drinking your favorite hot beverage. It's a sunny cool afternoon. You have on your favorite pair of jeans and sweater/jacket or perhaps you are wearing some really comfortable athletic shorts and a v-neck.(I don't know, you are the one imagining, the point is, you are comfortable). You and your good friend are talking about a recent trip that your friend went on. You are sitting their patiently. Taking sips of your hot beverage, and every once awhile, you make eye contact to ensure your friend that you are listening. As your friend begins to paint a picture about where he/she has been, you begin to try to imagine yourself there. Making the best of the adjectives that are being thrown out like, "great", "amazing", "beautiful", you find yourself trying to connect with this place that your friend speaks so highly about. Around the 7-10 minute mark, you kind of have this elementary/middle school picture in your head of what your friend has painted. It's colorful, but not a masterpiece. By no means, do you feel like you have the actual picture that your friend speaks so passionately about. So around the 11-12 minute (if we are honest), we can ask surface level questions, just to ensure that the friendship doesn't die (not really), but we continue to ask questions, for the sake of listening sometimes. Sometimes truly interested.

Now clearly this time frame has its limits. Either longer or shorter, that was a rough estimate. But here's the point of this little imagination exercise.

It is so so so hard for us to connect with something, when we have never experienced. Sure we can definitely appreciate other people's experiences. But it's so hard for us to connect on that same level, until we get to experience that similar event.

Examples?

Music. (of course). We love music. We are a people that are so hooked to media (ridiculous). Music, definitely something that I think God has wired us with. But we can listen to an album, or a cd, and really enjoy. We can love the lyrics. We can love the composition (structure) of it. But something happens when you go and see that favorite band of yours live. When you see them live, something changes. You have somehow experienced that music in a completely new way. You appreciate it more than you did before, because you have experienced it.

Cities. We can read brochures. We can read about historic sites. Great venues to go see. We can look at colorful pictures. But until we go and experience it, we don't really have a full appreciation for it.

Lastly. Food. I think this is probably the most tangible example. Just looking at food on a menu/its picture, its description. Can look great. Seems like it has the potential of being really good. But until you take that bite into it (i.e. experience it), you'll never know, right?

We are a people that desire to experience things. Whether good or bad. We desire to experience things. Pleasure. Purpose. Success. Happiness. And the list goes on. Essentially. That looks like so many different things in the world. Sex. Jobs. Money/Wealth. Family. So and so on.

Which leads me to the acropolis of this blog. Christians, so often lack that experiencing, aspect of God. Never really truly experiencing God. We read about Him. We hear about Him. But never really, connect with Him on that experiential aspect. We cut ourselves short. When we were listening to our friend earlier, we tell ourselves, "Ya, I would love to go there, to experience what you experienced", but for some reason, we never truly mean that. Just like with our relationship with Him. We talk a big game, about wanting to experience Him. But never try to put ourselves in a position to truly live it out.

Do you truly desire to experience Him? Are you putting yourself in a position to experience Him? Are you looking for Him? Are you seeking Him?

What's the point of seeking Him or looking for Him?

So we can enjoy Him more.