Therese of Lisieux became well known for speaking the truth without any trimmings: “What does it matter if people don’t love me on that account? If people don’t want to hear the truth, then they should not come to me...Oh God, I will listen to You gladly, I beg of You to answer me when I humbly ask You: What is the truth? Let nothing cause me to be deceived.”
She draws aside all the veils that are intended, either from sympathy or worldliness, to conceal the realities. She penetrates to the simple, naked truth of the gospel. The truth of our whole life...which is only true when it is lived through to its utmost depths as it comes to us from its source, Jesus. Men always believe that they are supposed to attribute to the Lord every imaginable, superhuman perfection. The fact that they do so may be a token of their admiration. Yet ultimately this perfection lies in that very humility and love by which He came to us and became like us in everything except sin. He was obedient unto death, learning this obedience through suffering.
That said, truth is the very core of my belief system. It seems only right to kick aside all of the heaps of pious, well-meant untruths that have been spoken and believed, leaving us unnourished and preventing us from “drinking of the living waters.” All I want is truth - real, tangible, concentrated truth. I know I’m human and broken. But that makes it all the better; to realize that I’m a quite little soul upon whom God has lavished His graces. When we are inhabited by truth our poor, depraved nothingness leaves nothing to be eliminated, thus creating the ultimate simplicity. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Spiritual writers (and most others) have left me dry. When I open a book, no matter how fine and wonderful it may be, my heart contracts, and I read without understanding it or, if I do understand it, then my mind goes blank and I can’t digest or meditate on it. I rarely find anything in books anymore. I watch people studying all these writings and commentaries and it blows my mind! It seriously distresses me to think about having to read all those books. I think I would just have a splitting headache and lost precious time which I would rather spend in simply loving God.
It makes more sense to me to commit to loving God and committing His Word to my heart. In all actuality, that is what makes my heart come alive anyway. I love the Word. Its the book of life that contains the science of love. Jesus doesn’t teach me to count my acts. He teaches me to do everything out of love, to refuse Him nothing, to be content when He gives me the opportunity to prove my love, and all this at the pace of complete surrender. Jesus does it all and I do nothing. It’s a beautiful thing.
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"It seriously distresses me to think about having to read all those books."
I've been through this same struggle lately, so I feel like I understand what you're saying. But don't feel like you HAVE to read those other books. Right now, I'm reading Blue Like Jazz and I'm learning a lot from it, but I know that deep down it's most important to read the actual words of Jesus and focus on what God already said through people 2,000 years ago, because while I'm certainly learning things from Blue Like Jazz and Donald Miller's (the writer) personal experiences, he's simply repeating most of what Jesus already said.
Don't feel like you HAVE to read anything, but dont' be afraid to read the words of other Christians and maybe learn from something they have to say. The worst that could happen is you find something that contradicts what Jesus said and if you're focusing on reading your Bible you'll know that it does, and you can just disagree with it. I've recently found out that youv'e got to filter what you learn through Jesus.
God bless!
i love that book!!! blue like jazz is one of the best books i've ever read and its definitely my favourite. :o) thanks for your comment!! i appreciate you!