“Whenever the devil harasses you, seek the company of men or drink more, or joke and talk nonsense, or do some other merry thing. Sometimes we must drink more, sport, recreate ourselves, and even sin a little to spite the devil, so that we leave him no place for troubling our consciences with trifles. We are conquered if we try too conscientiously not to sin at all. So when the devil says to you: do not drink, answer him: I will drink, and right freely, just because you tell me not to.” -Martin Luther
Check out what
Internet Monk has to say about this quote.
I find this comes at a time when I am questioning all sorts of things and feel that I (hopefully) am on the verge of a breakthrough (not a breakdown) -- where my faith can become more real, more genuine, more deep (um, deeper).
I know I need to know this Jesus in a personal and relational way -- but how do I do that when I read the Word and find in it all forms of "shoulds" and "should nots".
I have been trying to read and discover the character and heart of God...but all I'm encountering are rules. Or maybe that is all my eyes are tuned to see, given my experience, my perfectionism. and my
personality?
I'm thankful for the people who are around me and surrounding me in this journey. They are the ones who are challenging me to take another look at the Man/God and see something better sweeter, and more than I have imagined.
Comments (3)
someone on a facebook group i'm part of asked the question of what to do with all of the shame and pain one drags up from the past in the course of introspection/contemplation of one's past. i was about to answer him, and then my friend jeff called about an upcoming trip to jeju island, and then julie came up and we talked for an hour. i'm still thinking of what exactly to say without being the dispenser of unfounded advice, but i think there's something for him in what luther said. (given my past with luther's cronies, how odd i'd agree with him.) i think i'll tell him to find ways to say, "yes." find people who inspire him to say, "yes." and not yes to everything, but yes to a few strategic things to make life a little stranger. adventure along the way... it seems kind of necessary to break up all of the drudgery of sorting one's shit out.
you should update this xanga more often. i don't get to comment on yours like you do mine.
What in interesting Luther quote. Thanks for the info.
It makes sense... balance instead of deprivation. I am going to keep thinking on this....