Knowing God On Separation
One day I was on the phone with a family friend. She was on lunch break and on her way to a restaurant. “Are you having lunch by yourself?” I asked. “No, are you crazy! Only losers eat lunch alone. I am meeting a friend.”
Like my friend, most people believe that to be alone is to be a loser. And so we pursue friends and company to avoid the loser tag. It is this desire for friends, to be known, to be affirmed and recognized, that drives the success of social media platforms. And so today the average person spends hours surfing the internet and following their friends lives and hopefully have them ‘like’ their postings and recognize their achievements.
The truth however is that our faith only grows when we are cut from all supports and it only matures in the crucible of loneliness. But separation and loneliness are not easy choices. We laud Abraham and sing about how we are his sons and daughters but are we prepared to make the choices he did in obedience to the will of God? Abraham is distinguished for his faith and the scripture tells us that his true sons and daughters are those who share his faith in God (Jn.8:39-40).
Our spiritual odyssey requires the pilgrim mindset. We must be prepared to cut ties with those dear to us. We must be prepared for a circumcision of the heart, to put to death the life of the flesh. We must be willing to surrender our rights. And we must be ready to move when God calls. In other words, if God will use us greatly then we must be prepared for a life of separation and loneliness. We must truly belong to him only and that means no one else must have a lien on our lives. Living sacrifices are those who recognize that they are dead and that their lives are hid with Christ in God (Col.3:3). They confess they are crucified unto the world and the world unto them (Gal.6:14). They know their body and spirit do not belong to them for they are bought with a price (1Co.6:20). And they confess they are strangers and pilgrims on the earth (Heb.11:13).
To get to this place of single-mindedness often requires separation from all that we hold dear to us, including family. We are not engaged in a friendly tug-o-war game but in a life and death struggle with principalities and powers in heavenly places. We are fighting a war and this means we are enlisted for a fight to the death. Such conflicts call for separation, for saying goodbye to family and friends, so that we can be free from emotional entanglements and obligations (2Tim.2:3-4).
Survival and advancement into enemy territory demands utmost focus and fearlessness and this is difficult when one has to think of personal desires, dreams and ambition but the sacrifice is well worth it. Abraham received his blessing (Ge.22:17). And we will too!