Bridge The Gap

Believing.  Belief in something as true enough to put yourself fully into it.  Not just saying... oh that's true... but trusting it. Believing is something that I think lies at the root of much of our struggle to be and stay connected to God.  Not in a salvation saved kind of way, but in a relationship trust kind of way.
I am working my way through the book You Can Change by Tim Chester.  I was walking through the Watermark Coffee Shop one day and saw a friend with it and I asked about it.  And another staff remember piped in and said... one of the best all time books on change.  Ummmm... how do I not know about this?
And so he gave me a copy and I have been reading it slowly.  It is one that I think I will have to go back and read again after I get through it once.
There are many quotable statements in the book, like...
""The law isn't meant to be the starting point for change. It's meant to bring us to the end of ourselves and so drive us into the arms of Jesus."
OR
"When you feel the desire to prove yourself, remember your're right with God in Christ."
Powerful right?
I'm now in chapter 5 and it's talking about truth.  What truths do we need to be putting in place of lies?  I LOVE THIS.  It is one of my all time favorite things to talk with women about.  When our behavior isn't matching up with who we are or what we say we believe, I love to talk about the lies that are being believed and discuss the truth that needs to take its place!
And so in the book this quote got circled and starred...
"The problems lie in the gap between what we believe in theory and what we believe in practice."
OK... I'm gonna type it again...
"The problems lie in the gap between what we believe in theory and what we believe in practice."
How totally true is that??? When I look at my actions in light of what I say I say I believe, or even what I believe but somehow it is not changing my actions, there is a GAP! And I want those gaps to change.  I want to stop looking to others for approval when I know the only audience that really matters is God.  I want to stop comparing myself to others when I know that each of us is unique and wholly loved by God.  I want to stop thinking something is wrong with me and that's why I'm not married, when I know that God has a plan for me and my relationship status does not define me.
I want to practice what I know and live what I believe.