Are You a Light Bulb, a Vacuum, or a Window?

I think metaphors are kind of exciting.  They appeal to so many people because regardless of your level of intelligence, metaphors make it easy to understand almost anything.  Well here's a good metaphor I came up with for our relationships with God.

Are you a light bulb, a vacuum, or a window?  

Light Bulb:

Light bulbs are pretty cool.  They glow.  They give light.  They are a wonderful invention that has changed so many people's lives.  Well light bulbs, in people form, are pretty cool too.  They give stuff to people all the time.  They share their light with the world, they always try to please and make people happy.  And really they live a pretty good life.  A light bulb in a gym could light up a pretty good bit of the giant room.  Maybe not all of it, but one single light bulb can provide a lot for a LOT of people.

That is until they burn out...  That's the problem with being a light bulb.  You run out of your own personal power.  It fades away eventually.  And the danger with light bulbs is, if you really run out, then you're done.  You gotta get new parts to be a functional light bulbs again.  You run out of strength, resources, abilities.

Light Bulbs think they are enough without God.  They think well I can just not think about God that much and eventually I will achieve perfection.  Maybe a light bulb believes in God, but they don't spend any significant amount of time improving that spiritual relationship.  Well that can be really depressing.  The issues with light bulbs is that they believe that if they constantly give to people they might get something back... but unfortunately, in the long run that's not the case.  Light bulbs never get filled up again.  As their energy burns away, they are wasted away.  They spend so much time trying to make everyone realize what a pretty, awesome, fun lightbulb they are and that they can give so much to the world that they don't have any spiritual aspect to their lives.

Vacuum:
Vacuums are incredibly efficient.  They suck things in really really well.  They do a great job at taking things in and holding them close and not letting them go.  Vacuums, like light bulbs, are a one way street.  Vacuums spend SO much time focusing on God and internalizing their spiritual relationship.  They take in all that God has to give them.  They pray, they study, they think, they worship, just all God, all the time.

Well the issue with Vacuums is the get filled up and aren't nearly as efficient anymore...  They eventually run out of space to take in.  They get numb to the beauty and power that God is pouring into them.  When they have taken so much in but it just gets packed with everything else, it doesn't mean anything anymore.

Vacuums think that they can suck and take and pull from God constantly.  Even though thats not bad, its not enough.  They are only living half a life.  If by chance a vacuum does release their God stuff they have pulled in, its usually dumped in the trash and wasted.  No good comes out of it once it is gone from the Vacuum's spiritual self.  They spend so much time trying to show God that they love him and want him for themselves that they completely deny that God has other people he wants us to love too.

Window:  
Finally the window.  Windows, so long as they are open, freely share air, smells, sounds, physical stuff, and occasionally people (lol).  Windows can take stuff in, but they never really hold it long enough for it to get boring.  Windows constantly are sharing things that they take in with either the outside or the inside.

There is no "but" to the windows.  They aren't dependent on any self sponsored energy, they don't get filled up too much with stuff that it gets wasted.  Windows experience God, worship, love, and relate to him, and allow God to move through them to the world around.  Windows sometimes take in from the world.  Sometimes they take in from God.  Sometimes windows are a method of communication from God to people.  Sometimes windows see people as evidence of God.  Windows are OPEN.  To everyone, to God.  They are in touch with both their spiritual and relationship aspects of Christianity.  They aren't afraid because so long as they exist, they are able to just be, and God does all the work.  Windows don't require any energy, they are pulled out of and poured into by the force of those giving and taking.  Being a window is the greatest, most peaceful way of living.




I know a lot of windows.  They all are amazing people who are just genuinely happy.  That doesn't mean we all aren't a vacuum occasionally.  Or a light bulb.  We all have to experience different aspects of Christianity.  Being a window is just a happy medium.  I have experienced (In my short 18 years of life) a little bit of all three.  I can honestly say that the times I've experienced being a window were the happiest of my life.  If you've ever read any of the Bible... then you know that God wants us to love others.  Being a window is the greatest way to do that.  There is so much beauty in loving God and doing what he asks us to do.  I'm going to begin to spend my time trying to be a window.  I have a feeling God will give me more than my heart can desire.  

Why its OK to Question God

Yes, you heard me correctly.  I just said It's OK to question God.  Well bear with me because I haven't been struck down by lighting yet.  It won't kill you to consider the idea.

Let's just talk about this theoretically...  A parent has a child that runs into the street.  From the parents perspective running into the street is a terrible idea because the child might, oh I don't know, get hit by a car and become a pancake.  From the kids perspective, who has no legitimate idea what a car hitting him would do, just is trying to catch his ball.  So the parent has to instill into the child's mind that he must NOT go into the street no matter what.  The parent spanks the kid, and tells him, "DO NOT GO INTO THE STREET" and when the child asks why the parent responds with "BECAUSE I SAID SO".  Well the kid learns absolutely nothing but to try to hide from the parent when running into the street.  Now the spanking might have done the trick, and child may still mind.  This isn't a commentary on parenting styles because I'm not a parent, nor do I have any experience to claim to know anything about parenting styles, so don't take that out of this.  What I'm asking you to think about is how that was already an incredibly frustrating thing to hear.  "Because I Said So"

Maybe a situation more relevant to you might help.  Well what happens when your boss tells you to do something that makes no sense to you at the time.  Does it not really make you mad?  Especially when the boss gives no other explanation than, "Because I said so...".  Its infuriating.  We want to constantly know why.

Now God is very different.  First off because he's always right... So it is inherently silly to question him.  But I'm a firm believer in the fact that humans are imperfect... So why don't we allow our imperfections to teach us lessons in this life?  Questioning God, in any sense, is a form of communication.  It's not a slap to God's face or a disobedience.  Yes, God asks us to trust him.  But don't you think the Bible would be a LOT shorter if God intended us to just blindly trust him without any kind of explanation or reasoning?

I think it is healthy to interact with people of other belief systems, other religions, other denominations, other genders, cultures, communities, and races.  God gave us this massive community of life to learn from.  You don't have to change your mind about what you already believe.  You don't have to change their minds either.  Just let it happen.  Just experience it.  Do not be afraid of it.  Learn to understand people, and loving them, the greatest commandment, will be so much easier.

If speaking with someone makes you question God, then no, its not a terrible thing.  Its your humanity.  You aren't God.  I'm sorry but theoretically you have something in your head that you believe about God that is probably wrong.  Same for me.  Not a single one of us is capable of understanding God to his full extent at this point int time.  So maybe you will change your mind.  Maybe you won't.  God won't leave you.  Go talk to him about it.  If you talk to a person who isn't a christian in the way you are that makes you question God, then go talk to God about it.  It's what you do when you get confused about a relationship with a person here on earth.  Tell God, tell him you need help understanding.  Allow him to guide you to the truth.  He won't leave you hanging.  If you are hungry for the truth then he will satisfy you.  Do not be afraid... He will accept your questioning with open arms and be thrilled that you want to go deeper with him.

I LOVE to question God.  Because every time I do, my faith grows stronger.  Don't be so closed minded.  Don't be so obsessed with what you think the truth is right now on earth.  If God had taught you everything you needed to know by now, then there would be no point for you to be here anymore. It would be time for you to head on up to Heaven.  So if you are reading this I assume you aren't in heaven yet.  So God is NOT done with you.  He hasn't finished teaching you.  So honor him with your questions.  Respect him by not blindly pretending that you believe everything that he tells you right away without any questions.  Don't pretend with him.  Be REAL.

And question God.  It can become a beautiful thing