Escape the Familiar
Escape. Familiar. Two words one wouldn’t normally find coupled. The idea itself is something of an anomaly; why would anyone choose to “escape” from what is familiar? Yet millions of folks are, quite honestly, “trapped” in their routine...the familiar.
Ever heard of being caught in “the rat race”? To some, that might mean the pursuit of success (however one chooses to define success); it could be a multi-job family that finds little time for each other, the executive working long hours to establish himself in his corporate office, the working couple who drift apart while they manage to finally catch up—and outshine—“the Jones”.
But to many, the rat race is nothing more than just the mundane, day-to-day life that they mechanically go through every day. The alarm clock, the shower, the commute, the time clock, the cubicle, the lunch rush, the afternoon commute, all culminating in yet another predictable evening of rerun television and take-out dinners.
Maybe now the phrase “Escape The Familiar” takes on new meaning. Have I just described your life? Your home? Your “pursuit of success”? Your marriage?
Any of these situations, where we can find ourselves trapped in a meaningless ritual, can be distressing. But undoubtedly the greatest tragedy in many lives is the all-too-familiar routine they are locked into with their religion.
In the 1990 Christian song Beyond The Open Door, the opening lyrics state, "In the things familiar we find security, resisting all the changes the days and years may bring..." The song goes on to tell us that GOD desires to lead us into realms we’ve never known, if only we will follow Him “beyond the open door”.
In Genesis 12, we find GOD speaking to Abram (Abraham). Abram was the “father of many nations”, the one to whom GOD made His great covenant, and the one who became the founder of GOD’s chosen people, the Israelites. Notice, however, that long before there was ever a promise made to Abram—even before GOD changed his name to Abraham—there was a call for Abram to “escape the familiar”. Abram was challenged to leave his country, his relatives, and even his “father’s house”...the very things that he had built his life around, the things he was “familiar” with.
Yet follow the life story of Abraham through the Bible, the promises GOD made to him, blessings encountered throughout his life, and you’ll understand that GOD had much more in store for Abraham’s future than he would have ever found remaining in what was familiar.
What does GOD have in store for you? Are you willing to “escape the familiar” to find it? Are you weary with “religion”, and searching for something more substantial? It’s out there, my friend, but in order to find that new, exciting, rejuvenating relationship with GOD, it requires escaping.
Escape the familiar. Encounter the unknown. Discover GOD like you’ve never known Him before.
But to do that, it may very well require that you first escape the familiar.
Ever heard of being caught in “the rat race”? To some, that might mean the pursuit of success (however one chooses to define success); it could be a multi-job family that finds little time for each other, the executive working long hours to establish himself in his corporate office, the working couple who drift apart while they manage to finally catch up—and outshine—“the Jones”.
But to many, the rat race is nothing more than just the mundane, day-to-day life that they mechanically go through every day. The alarm clock, the shower, the commute, the time clock, the cubicle, the lunch rush, the afternoon commute, all culminating in yet another predictable evening of rerun television and take-out dinners.
Maybe now the phrase “Escape The Familiar” takes on new meaning. Have I just described your life? Your home? Your “pursuit of success”? Your marriage?
Any of these situations, where we can find ourselves trapped in a meaningless ritual, can be distressing. But undoubtedly the greatest tragedy in many lives is the all-too-familiar routine they are locked into with their religion.
In the 1990 Christian song Beyond The Open Door, the opening lyrics state, "In the things familiar we find security, resisting all the changes the days and years may bring..." The song goes on to tell us that GOD desires to lead us into realms we’ve never known, if only we will follow Him “beyond the open door”.
In Genesis 12, we find GOD speaking to Abram (Abraham). Abram was the “father of many nations”, the one to whom GOD made His great covenant, and the one who became the founder of GOD’s chosen people, the Israelites. Notice, however, that long before there was ever a promise made to Abram—even before GOD changed his name to Abraham—there was a call for Abram to “escape the familiar”. Abram was challenged to leave his country, his relatives, and even his “father’s house”...the very things that he had built his life around, the things he was “familiar” with.
Yet follow the life story of Abraham through the Bible, the promises GOD made to him, blessings encountered throughout his life, and you’ll understand that GOD had much more in store for Abraham’s future than he would have ever found remaining in what was familiar.
What does GOD have in store for you? Are you willing to “escape the familiar” to find it? Are you weary with “religion”, and searching for something more substantial? It’s out there, my friend, but in order to find that new, exciting, rejuvenating relationship with GOD, it requires escaping.
Escape the familiar. Encounter the unknown. Discover GOD like you’ve never known Him before.
But to do that, it may very well require that you first escape the familiar.
posted by Steve at 4:46 PM
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