What Is Your Starting Point?

I want to know God and God's love. Don't you?

Our desire for God might be our most powerful desire. I'm not saying it always feels like our top priority. Perhaps it's like the force of gravity. Though they are distant, the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon even affects our sleep cycles. In a similar way, our souls feel a constant tug for God. The reality of God shapes our lives even when we don't notice it.

Sometimes we respond to this tug by taking action. We feel compelled to believe in God, follow his commandments, attend religious services, read the Bible, pray, or serve others in need. While the intent is well-meaning, and I think all of these responses are appropriate, over-emphasizing our responsibility can have negative consequences.

For instance, no matter how much we do, we may wonder if we've done enough to earn God's love. The consequence is that we feel anxiety, guilt, shame, or exhaustion. We also might judge others who don't meet our standards.

Our deepest desires are an opportunity for our greatest fulfillment. But they are also spaces we are vulnerable to manipulation and religious exploitation.

In one of his sermons, the famous Christian theologian St. Augustine approached the question of our desire for God from God's perspective:

*"Perhaps this may seem little enough, that Jesus should come, clothed with human flesh, God for human beings, the just one for sinners, the innocent one for the guilty, the king for prisoners, the Lord for slaves; that he should be seen on earth and converse with men. So in addition he was crucified, died and was buried... So there you are; in Christ we do find greater love, seeing that he gave up his life not for his friends but his enemies."*

Augustine argues with our hearts, seeking to persuade us that God has extraordinary affection for us. It's hard for us to accept this reality! What an interesting conundrum. We want to know God, but when God reveals that he loves us, sometimes we stiff-arm him.

I want to know how much God loves me. I want you to know that too. So this course attempts to overcome our resistance to God. Together, we're going to explore God's care for us.

**What difference would it make if you were totally confident in God's love for you?**

At Uncommon Pursuit, we're all about slow and steady growth. Consider a beautiful geode. All it takes to form these spectacular stones is a steady accumulation of minerals over thousands of years. In the same way, as we open ourselves to God's love on a daily basis, year after year after year, we are formed into whole, mature, and loving people.