Clash of Christianity

January 6, 2016

About a month ago I wrote a post of spiritual formations and the importance of using these to grow closer in your walk with Christ.  Recently I have started playing a mobile game that has brought new perspective you the old phrase a mile wide and an inch deep.  Clash of Clans is an upkeep game where you build your army, join a clan and continue to improve.  Much like our spiritual journeys there are many ways to go about this.  A dear friend and active player told me to upgrade all the options before proceeding to the next level.  On the early levels it seemed very easy to accomplish and I moved through very quickly, easily gaining advantage over bases of similar size.  As I move up the food chain and towards world domination my progress has slowed and there have been times that I have been tempted to just jump ahead to the next level.  It’s during this time that his voice is in my head reminding me to be patient and complete the process to be a better player and clan mate.  As I attack and defend I know that words he has spoken to me are truth, the bases that don’t follow this rule are easily run over with huge losses and sometime not just to them but also their clan.  Again, this is much like our Christian walk!  We all have a goal to be more like Christ, but knowledge and appearance does not paint the whole picture of who Christ is.  I fear that as Christians we have become a mile wide and an inch deep, refusing to be patient and do the hard work that is required not only for ourselves but also for our clan (the kingdom of God.)  When you progress in your walk to quickly or out of sync with spiritual health, the attacks hurt us more and sometimes even those closest to us.  As you begin the process remember that you will shoot up fast in your faith but the deeper you grow in your relationship it will take longer and longer to level up.  Please be patient!  Hebrews 12 brings a lot of wisdom about running the race of life with endurance.  This journey that we are on is not one of speed but that of a constant striding forward motion.  When we fall down we get back up only to learn from our failures and move forward.  We can learn a lot from the world around us, even from free apps that most would view as a waste of time.  How will you move forward in your walk with Christ this year?