If you've recently left a controlling religion, you may feel like your world is spinning.
You’ve realized some of the rules you built your life on… are just manmade.
Some of the teaching you embraced… were just created by authorities to maintain their power.
You still want to believe in God, but your faith is feeling really shaky.
The same is true if you have anxiety or OCD. Your therapist is telling you to accept uncertainty. You can’t always trust what your mind is telling you. So how can you know who to trust?
How do you know what is true? What lens should you view God through? Who can you trust?
In her book, Loving to Know, Esther Lightcap Meek shows us a new way of knowing. Rather than just focusing on our reasoning and logic (a big no-no for OCD!), we must focus on creative knowing that lines up with reality. You don’t have to trust your OCD, but you can learn to trust your healthy intuition, the word of God, and your faithful guides.
The first element of creative knowing is surrounding ourselves with people who see us for who we really are. People who look at us with eyes of delight. Esther Lightcap Meek calls this “noticing regard,” and she says it “invites the real” to make an appearance.[i]
Have you ever seen a grandmother´s face light up when seeing her grandchild? Or a child’s face light up to see a new puppy? This kind of loving gaze makes us feel confident, secure, and treasured.
It’s easy to learn, explore, and grow when we are noticed and loved. On the other hand, everything looks grim when we feel rejected. Life takes on a twisted, distorted look. We’re not sure what’s real after all. We’re tempted to hide.
Surround yourself with people whose love brings out the beauty in you. If you’re feeling lonely and isolated and don’t have those friends in your life, ask God to show you how to bask in his loving gaze. The Bible tells us that God’s face lights up when he thinks of his children.[1] (Numbers 6:25, Psalms 4:6-7, Psalm 31:16, 44:3, 67:1, 80:3, and Daniel 9:17).
· God noticed Hagar when she was alone, rejected, and sad. He named her the mother of great nations. (Genesis 16)
· God saw Gideon as a strong warrior and inspired him to become just that (Judges 6-8)
· God saw Abraham as a man of faith, even though he constantly doubted. (Romans 4:20, Genesis 17:17)
When you understand that you are deeply noticed and seen by God, you will understand reality more accurately.
How does God see you?
How does this help you gain confidence in knowing?
Who can you invite into your life that sees you accurately and helps you gain a better grasp on reality?
[1] Jim Wilder, Other Half of Church, 55
https://www.amazon.com/Other-Half-Church-Overcoming-Stagnation/dp/0802419631/
[i] Esther Lightcap Meek, Loving to Know, 454
https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Know-Esther-Lightcap-Meek/dp/1608999289/
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