Running from God (and Disintegrating Ourselves)

Yesterday, we talked about some potential reasons why we run from God. Today, let's look at potential characteristics of what “running from God” might look like. 

It’s important to note—we are all discerning what the metaphor “running from God” actually means. This is a phrase that can be manipulated to impy various meanings and it’s also a phrase that can help bring awareness, life, and growth. 

Here is my biased understanding of the characteristics of running from God: 

Running from God is becoming disintegrated with ourselves. To love God comes back to loving ourselves and others, well. When we run, we lose our capacity to do both of those things: care for self and others.  

This can look like: 

• Operating out of fear and avoidance and not addressing our own emotions and thoughts 

• Living comfortably and not being challenged by different people’s experiences

• Seeking power, privilege, wealth, etc. and not fostering generosity to others 

• Hiding ourselves and cutting off to others and/or ourselves (indifference) 

• Feeling insecure and mitigating our own needs

• Using material items and or substances to fill a void 

• Becoming overly dependent on people to validate our own insecurities 

There are many scenarios that we could all list out of what running from God might look like. As we all reflect, I want us to keep asking when do I feel like I am not acting like my ideal self? When do I struggle to care for others well? What are the deeper reasons I act like this? Take time to hold the emotions that come up. Stick with them. As you process what running from God looks like for you, keep asking God to tune you into loving yourself and others well (i.e. what running towards God) looks like. 

Some verses to reflect on as you tune in and run towards God/self/others: 

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well”. - Psalm 139:13-14

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

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Dottie Oleson