The Problem With Familiarity

I used to live in Flagstaff, Arizona, a little town nestled up in the mountains, where lumberjack sightings are frequent, the pace of life is slower, and hippies abound. When I first moved from Tucson to Flagstaff, I was in awe of the beauty all around me. I was obsessed with the tall trees towering over me. The mountains were majestic and full of wonder and every day seemed like it contained the potential for adventure. The first time it snowed, I was amazed that snow actually exists! It’s not just something that was made up for a Hallmark movie!

But, over the months and years that I lived there, the magic of it all faded. I became used to everything around me and grew annoyed at the things that had once taken my breath away. By the second winter, I was sick of snow and I didn’t want to see another flake fall to the ground. The mountains and trees became impediments to me getting where I needed to go.

Because I had become familiar with my surroundings, I was no longer amazed by them.

Has this ever happened to you?

I think this is a more common problem than we’d typically like to admit, especially when it comes to the Lord.

When we first understand the profound truth that Jesus has taken the punishment and penalty for our sins and given us his perfect righteousness in return, we’re amazed and grateful and full of wonder. But, over time, that can begin to fade away. We might not lose our faith and we might even continue to grow deeper with God, but the majesty of his work might dim a little bit.

Have you ever heard the song “Jesus Loves Me”? It’s the song that we teach three-year-olds in Sunday school but is rarely sung by adults. How weird is that? We relegate this song with all of its truth to something just for kids.

When I was still teaching, we would often have the kids sing this, but usually, I would just breeze through the words, paying no attention to them because it’s a “kid’s song”. The truth of the matter is, I needed to know those words just as much as each of those kids did. I needed to take that truth, accept it, and hide it in my heart. I needed (and still do) to know that Jesus loves me! I can be confident in this truth because the Bible, the infallible word of God, tells me so. I’m one of the little ones that belong to him. And I can come to him, weaknesses, flaws, and all, because he is strong!

I encourage you to take a few moments and think about the areas in which you’ve become familiar. Are there any relationships that you’re taking for granted? A view that has lost its wonder? Or is there a part of your faith in which you’ve grown complacent?

The truth is, there’s so much in this world and this faith journey to be amazed at, if we just take the time to look at a situation, a person, or our good God with fresh eyes.

To go Deeper: Read The Correlation of Love and Forgiveness, His Story

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