That doesn't make sense, does it? The reason that we can say such things and be speaking truth is because there are two different definitions of religious, the dictionary and the practical. The dictionary defines religious simply as relating to or believing in a religion. So before that can be accurately evaluated, we need to look at the dictionary definition of religion, which is: the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods; a particular system of faith and worship; a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.
According to the dictionary, I am religious and love religion. I most certainly believe in and worship a personal God. While I don't have a lot of specific rites I follow, I do have a particular system of faith and worship. And, my relationship with God is a pursuit and an interest to which I ascribe supreme importance. By that definition, many, if not most of the people who claim not to be religious and those who claim not to believe in any one particular faith are not religious.
But I also know that the folks Jesus gave the hardest time were not the traitors and the drunks and the prostitutes and those the religious people called sinners. The religious people were the targets of His harshest criticism. And that is because the practical definition of religion, whatever religion it might be, is what we do to get right or be right with God or the universe or even just ourselves. If I do this and don't do that, I'm OK. If I do those things and don't do these, then I'm in trouble. It's all about what we do. And with the practical definition, even people who don't believe in God at all, are quite religious. If asked if they worry about judgement, the response is usually something along the lines of I try to be loving and help people. I'm pretty good. I think I try really hard to be a moral person, so I'm OK. Or they pull out the checklist. I don't steal, kill, etc. I volunteer, give, treat others well, etc.
Then I look at this in light of my recovery. I don't believe there's anything wrong with drinking, for those who can do so without being in bondage to it. To be OK and be able to enjoy a drink from time to time, all I have to do is not lose control when I drink. But I can't do that. When I control my drinking, I don't enjoy it. When I enjoy it, I'm not in control. And once I start the craving going, I am no longer in control of if I am going to drink or how much. It's just a question of how long I can resist. Sooner or later, I will fail. Because when my drinking is about what I do or don't do, I'm doomed. But when It is about what God does, I can be free. When I stop trying to be the one doing and rely on His power and care, I find freedom. I find myself no longer obsessing about drinking, nor do I even miss it, because I have found something better that fulfills all the things that I looked to drink and other things to do for me.
And that practical example of me doing verses God doing for me what I can not do, makes me look at the idea of religion differently. I don't want to be the doer in my spiritual life any more than I do in my recovery. It works about as well. Because I can try to do good, want to do good, attempt to treat others well, live service, etc. and sooner or later I will fall far short of my own ideal. I will slip into selfishness and self seeking, because that's what I do. But when I stop trying to be the doer and rely on Him to do, it makes all the difference. My spiritual life, which effects all aspects of my life, becomes all about relationship with Daddy and all about what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in and through me for me and for others.
And the reason I can go that route is because Jesus has done something beyond amazing in my opinion. He didn't look to see if I would be a good fit for Him, a good match, or even 100% faithful. He knows me better than I know myself, knows full well the broken, mess I was, and pursued me to the point of taking my death and judgment upon Himself to win my love and to set me free to be able to love Him. That is so not what anyone would describe as a wise way to pick a bride. Daddy never demanded that I rise to His level. He loved me first and sent Jesus to make a way for me to come. The Spirit makes His abode in me, to transform me into what I was created to be, to bring me love, peace, joy, freedom and life worth living, to fill me with the power to do what I could never do on my own. It is the foundation and the surety of my recovery, but it is so much more than that. It is a real and personal relationship that supersedes all my qualifications and ability and every circumstance of life, good and bad. What God has done for me, is also true for you, if you want it. That's why I don't worry so much about the question of if I or anyone else is or isn't religious, but all I want to know is where am I in relationship with my Creator, and my hope for you is that it will be about relationship as well.
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