Dodger: Hi! How have you been? I'm glad you could make it. Before Lilly gets here I wanted to show you a letter I received in my mail yesterday. I think it will make an interesting subject today.
Here it is:
I wonder what Lilly will have to say on this.*
Lilly: Hi there. So sorry I'm late, but traffic was terrible!
Dodger: That's alright...wait a minute. Aren't you too young to drive?
Lilly: Oh yes. My mom took me up here, but we had to take the crowded detour route.
Dodger: Oh. Well I was just showing our friend a letter I recently received. Go ahead and take a look.
Lilly: I see. Well, I think I know what Miss Tall is suffering from.
Dodger: What?
Lilly: Familiarity problems.
Dodger: Wait a second. I thought it was good to be familiar with things. That way you know what you're doing.
Lilly: That's true in a way. Sometimes it is good to be familiar with what you're doing, but unfortunately one can get a bit too familiar with things, so they become run-of-the-mill, even boring.
Dodger: I don't think I get what you're saying.
Lilly: Let me put it this way. In my house, I have electricity. But the other day the wires at my house broke, and we had no electricity in the house. I couldn't light up my bedroom, or browse my computer, or listen to the radio, or watch TV, or even turn up the heat! I'm pretty used to the modern convenience of electricity, but I sure missed it when I didn't have it anymore. That's what I mean by familiarity. We sometimes get so used to the Word of God, and having the Holy Spirit in us, and the promises He's given us, that we may cease to see them as special. We've all done this. I'm guilty of it. The problem with familiarity is that, although God won't fail us like electricity does, or ever leave us, familiarity can cause us to miss out on some of the enthusiasm and joy He wants us to have, and make us unable to notice how amazing He is, and how amazing all the things He's done are, and even how much He loves us.
Dodger: So how do we get rid of familiarity?
Lilly: I'd recommend that we do three things: pray, keep Colossians 2:6-10 in mind, and do something different.
Dodger: Here's the verse you just mentioned. "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2:6-10 NKJV boldface added).
Lilly: Live your Christian life with gratitude to God! It's hard to be familiar when you are praising God and constantly remembering all He's done for you.
Dodger: That's true. Talking to God reminds us that we're in a relationship with Him, and keeps us from growing familiar with God because we're too busy growing close to God.
Lilly: Exactly. The other thing is this. Whatever you are doing with God, change it somehow. If you do a certain routine with God, break from it. Don't necessarily stop doing the things in it, just change them around a little. If you spend 15 minutes with God every day, try lengthening it. If you're reading a certain piece of the Bible, ask God if He has a passage He'd like you to read. When you read it, read it like you never have before, as if it's brand new, since there's always something in the Bible we haven't noticed until the Holy Spirit points it out to us. And try going somewhere else to pray or read the Bible. Read it out loud if you don't usually.
Dodger: It's not too hard to break with familiarity. It's definitely worth it, though.
Lilly: That's for sure. I hope this helps Miss Tall with her question.
Dodger: Me too. Looks like I've got to go home again. Well thanks for hanging out with us today. Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change.
Lilly: збогум!
* The letter in question was created by the author, and is not from a real question writer.
(NKJV Means New King James Version)
Here it is:
I wonder what Lilly will have to say on this.*
Lilly: Hi there. So sorry I'm late, but traffic was terrible!
Dodger: That's alright...wait a minute. Aren't you too young to drive?
Lilly: Oh yes. My mom took me up here, but we had to take the crowded detour route.
Dodger: Oh. Well I was just showing our friend a letter I recently received. Go ahead and take a look.
Lilly: I see. Well, I think I know what Miss Tall is suffering from.
Dodger: What?
Lilly: Familiarity problems.
Dodger: Wait a second. I thought it was good to be familiar with things. That way you know what you're doing.
Lilly: That's true in a way. Sometimes it is good to be familiar with what you're doing, but unfortunately one can get a bit too familiar with things, so they become run-of-the-mill, even boring.
Dodger: I don't think I get what you're saying.
Lilly: Let me put it this way. In my house, I have electricity. But the other day the wires at my house broke, and we had no electricity in the house. I couldn't light up my bedroom, or browse my computer, or listen to the radio, or watch TV, or even turn up the heat! I'm pretty used to the modern convenience of electricity, but I sure missed it when I didn't have it anymore. That's what I mean by familiarity. We sometimes get so used to the Word of God, and having the Holy Spirit in us, and the promises He's given us, that we may cease to see them as special. We've all done this. I'm guilty of it. The problem with familiarity is that, although God won't fail us like electricity does, or ever leave us, familiarity can cause us to miss out on some of the enthusiasm and joy He wants us to have, and make us unable to notice how amazing He is, and how amazing all the things He's done are, and even how much He loves us.
Dodger: So how do we get rid of familiarity?
Lilly: I'd recommend that we do three things: pray, keep Colossians 2:6-10 in mind, and do something different.
Dodger: Here's the verse you just mentioned. "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2:6-10 NKJV boldface added).
Lilly: Live your Christian life with gratitude to God! It's hard to be familiar when you are praising God and constantly remembering all He's done for you.
Dodger: That's true. Talking to God reminds us that we're in a relationship with Him, and keeps us from growing familiar with God because we're too busy growing close to God.
Lilly: Exactly. The other thing is this. Whatever you are doing with God, change it somehow. If you do a certain routine with God, break from it. Don't necessarily stop doing the things in it, just change them around a little. If you spend 15 minutes with God every day, try lengthening it. If you're reading a certain piece of the Bible, ask God if He has a passage He'd like you to read. When you read it, read it like you never have before, as if it's brand new, since there's always something in the Bible we haven't noticed until the Holy Spirit points it out to us. And try going somewhere else to pray or read the Bible. Read it out loud if you don't usually.
Dodger: It's not too hard to break with familiarity. It's definitely worth it, though.
Lilly: That's for sure. I hope this helps Miss Tall with her question.
Dodger: Me too. Looks like I've got to go home again. Well thanks for hanging out with us today. Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change.
Lilly: збогум!
* The letter in question was created by the author, and is not from a real question writer.
(NKJV Means New King James Version)
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