Have you ever read a book that turned your world completely upside down and caused you to look at things in a completely new way?
I am on the final pages of a book called “Kisses From Katie”. It is the story of a young woman who leaves everything behind to follow what she believes to be God’s will for her life. In short, Katie graduated from high school and convinced her parents to let her work in a Ugandan orphanage if she promised to return in a year and begin her college career.
After a fruitful and life changing 12 months Katie returned home only to face tremendous culture shock and a painful readjustment to her home of 18 years.
Katie wrote “What has been the biggest shock to my system, the huge disconnect, is that I have stepped out of reliance on God to meet my needs. I “miss” Jesus. He hasn’t disappeared, of course, but I feel so far from Him because my life is actually functioning without Him. “
“My life is functioning without Him…” ?!?! The words have been thought a million times by Christians in 1st world countries but to read them was a bit stunning.
Here is what I mean…
#1. I can meet my physical needs without turning to Him to heal, feed, or comfort me. I live in an area with 24 hour medical clinics and pharmacies… a dozen around the clock drive throughs … clean, well-lit grocery stores offer almost everything I need and want and a car to carry it all back to my well heated/cooled home or apartment.
#2. I can meet my emotional needs: Instead of turning to Him when I’m lonely or down, I can text a friend, get on Facebook, even use the phone (so 1980’s) to immediately interact with a friend.
#3. I can entertain myself: When I am feeling bored I can order a movie on demand, cruise through Pinterest or Facebook, go to a mall or enjoy the half a million apps waiting for me on my smartphone.
What keeps echoing in my head is that by “functioning” without Him, I lose the ability to be close to Him.
In Uganda, Katie was in constant communication with God! WHY? Because, she could not meet her needs by herself…she HAD to rely on God first for everything. She was content and at peace in the midst of her hardship. She was close to the God of the Universe because she had to be. He was all she had….and SHE LOVED IT! She had purpose and passion and meaning.
When I read this I found myself terribly jealous! When did my INCREDIBLE BLESSINGS BECOME SUCH A CURSE? When did I have to start “scheduling” time to talk to Him or read and study my Bible? When did my blessings drive me AWAY from God instead of TOWARDS Him?
While I will, and should, never apologize for God’s blessing in my life, I have come to realize that even blessings from God can be twisted to draw me away from Him.
I N T E N T I O N A L Marriage 
Todd
March 15, 2012 at 7:37 am
“Kisses From Katie” sounds like a good read, something to take to heart. I’ll put it on my to buy list today. Thanks Margie for sharing. Thanks Hixon for sharing your page with your wife.
SimplySarahJ
March 15, 2012 at 9:20 am
Haven’t heard of this book- thanks for sharing! I’m finding a new reliance on God (though still not what Katie described having in Uganda because I’m still guilty of “functioning without Him”) now that sweet Jacob is here! Parenting is teaching me a WHOLE lot about who He is and how my life communicates who I think He is! Margie, you should start your own blog! Miss you guys!
Mary Ann Roach
March 15, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Margie – I needed this reminder again today! I read this book about a month ago and several times I thought “Sarah-Clare would love this book!” – I think she and Katie would become fast friends if they ever met one another! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this – while I was reading it my heart was stretched to its limit.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts – powerful!
Miss You!
Mary Ann
Al Bergstrazer
March 20, 2012 at 8:15 am
You have hit upon a very common malady among western Christians, which is that God will bless us to the point that we no longer need Him. And when the usual troubles, trials and tragedies strike people lose faith because they presumed that being a Christian means to not have the problems that ‘other’ people have. If a child was allowed to grow up with every convenience, to the point that child never needed mom to bandage a skinned knee, or take care of them when they were sick, never had dad to lean on when they got their hearts broken or were picked on in school, would such a child really know what it is to be loved? It is quite shocking when we realize how many ‘household’ idols we really do have.
Trog Trogdon
June 18, 2012 at 10:53 am
Great post and reminds me of a quote by John Broadus… “Send us affliction and trouble, blight our dearest hopes if need be, that we may learn more fully to depend on Thee.”
Alvin Weir
August 17, 2012 at 12:04 am
Wow, interesting dialogue and perspective…how easy it is to “coast” without dependency….and how temporary and empty those blessings can be without prioritizing the One who has blessed. Thank you for sharing. Also…hello Minister Frank (Bro Alvin Weir from First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls)…my wife and I were sharing about how similar you and your brother’s sons favor. You are missed, Be Blessed. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – “Pray without ceasing.”