In the Name of the Genie…
MUSINGS
We have a magical Christianity problem.
I have an idea of where it comes from too. It is, at least partly, laziness wearing a very sacred dress. It is so much easier to have a Big Someone in the sky who we can hand every unfinished assignment to. Someone who may not talk back (He definitely does sometimes lol) or ask for receipts. We get to pin our problems on Him, pin our hopes on Him, pin our expectations on Him, and then go about our business without ever actually doing our part.
That's the setup. And how does this magical wheel keep turning? There are many, but the most popular would be: testimony time.
You know the one. Someone gets up, glowing, and says "I’ve been wanting this for a 4 months, so I prayed and fasted for three days and I got the job!" The whole room erupts. “Hallelujah!!!”. Somebody's now about to go on a 72-hour fast for a job at a bank without a degree, and another‘s leaving service with the well thought-out plan to become the next BILLIONAIRE, when the last time he read a book or even saved a penny was a decade ago. How is he going to accomplish this?
Take a wild guess…
But here's what that testifier didn't say. They have two degrees. They prepped for that interview like it was a final exam. They researched the company, rehearsed answers, followed up with a thank-you email and sent over a box of chocolates after the third interview round. They walked in and actually demonstrated that they could add value. The prayer was real and important. It just wasn't the whole story.
When we leave out the rest, the message the congregation hears is "pray three days, get the job," full stop. No study. No skill. No excellence. Just hope and fasting.
That's not faith. That's a magical impersonator!
This has encouraged a whole generation of us to become allergic to effort. We love the language of "believing God" and "waiting on God." Beautiful words. Except somewhere along the way, waiting became the entire job description. Pray, wait, pray, wait. Meanwhile we're not reading. Not saving. Not investing. Not diversifying anything, financial or otherwise. Not sharpening a single skill.
Some of the least excellent, least prepared, least thoughtful people I know are my own brothers and sisters in Christ.
I love us. I really do. But we need to do better.
Here's the thing I actually believe, underneath all the sarcasm: God is not impressed by our helplessness. He's not sitting around waiting for us to become useless enough that He finally has an excuse to move. Prayer is not divorced from preparation. Pray like it depends on Him. Then go do the reading, the practicing, the saving, the showing up, like it depends on you too. That's not lack of faith. That's what faith with hands looks like.
So this is me, one very tired but very hopeful sister in Christ, asking us to hold both things at once. Invest in yourself, work on your attitude, get that degree, do your research, practice your interview skills. Stop trying to intimidate or pressure my Lord, it’s not going to work.
We can be people who believe AND people who prepare. Let's try that.
With love (and mild exasperation),
<3
We have a magical Christianity problem.
I have an idea of where it comes from too. It is, at least partly, laziness wearing a very sacred dress. It is so much easier to have a Big Someone in the sky who we can hand every unfinished assignment to. Someone who may not talk back (He definitely does sometimes lol) or ask for receipts. We get to pin our problems on Him, pin our hopes on Him, pin our expectations on Him, and then go about our business without ever actually doing our part.
That's the setup. And how does this magical wheel keep turning? There are many, but the most popular would be: testimony time.
You know the one. Someone gets up, glowing, and says "I’ve been wanting this for a 4 months, so I prayed and fasted for three days and I got the job!" The whole room erupts. “Hallelujah!!!”. Somebody's now about to go on a 72-hour fast for a job at a bank without a degree, and another‘s leaving service with the well thought-out plan to become the next BILLIONAIRE, when the last time he read a book or even saved a penny was a decade ago. How is he going to accomplish this?
Take a wild guess…
But here's what that testifier didn't say. They have two degrees. They prepped for that interview like it was a final exam. They researched the company, rehearsed answers, followed up with a thank-you email and sent over a box of chocolates after the third interview round. They walked in and actually demonstrated that they could add value. The prayer was real and important. It just wasn't the whole story.
When we leave out the rest, the message the congregation hears is "pray three days, get the job," full stop. No study. No skill. No excellence. Just hope and fasting.
That's not faith. That's a magical impersonator!
This has encouraged a whole generation of us to become allergic to effort. We love the language of "believing God" and "waiting on God." Beautiful words. Except somewhere along the way, waiting became the entire job description. Pray, wait, pray, wait. Meanwhile we're not reading. Not saving. Not investing. Not diversifying anything, financial or otherwise. Not sharpening a single skill.
Some of the least excellent, least prepared, least thoughtful people I know are my own brothers and sisters in Christ.
I love us. I really do. But we need to do better.
Here's the thing I actually believe, underneath all the sarcasm: God is not impressed by our helplessness. He's not sitting around waiting for us to become useless enough that He finally has an excuse to move. Prayer is not divorced from preparation. Pray like it depends on Him. Then go do the reading, the practicing, the saving, the showing up, like it depends on you too. That's not lack of faith. That's what faith with hands looks like.
So this is me, one very tired but very hopeful sister in Christ, asking us to hold both things at once. Invest in yourself, work on your attitude, get that degree, do your research, practice your interview skills. Stop trying to intimidate or pressure my Lord, it’s not going to work.
We can be people who believe AND people who prepare. Let's try that.
With love (and mild exasperation),
<3