More of You
There is a popular platitude within Evangelical Christian circles which is framed as a prayer and goes along the lines:
More of you Lord, and less of me.
It seems to echo the words of John the Baptist and as such has an air of profundity. I no longer buy it though. The last time I heard it in church – which fortunately was quite some time ago – I felt God speak to me, and if I could put the experience into words, it would go something like this:
(Read aloud placing emphasis on the word ‘you’)
More of you, less of me!? (incredulous tone)
No No No No No No No… No… that is so wrong.It is all about you. Don’t you get it?
It is You You You You You…. You! More of you!
It is you I am interested in. I want more of you!
You as you were meant to be; as you want to be, as you know you were destined to be.I don’t want a carbon copy of me; that is not it.
It is you I want to get to know.
It is you I want a relationship with.
What you long to be, I long for you to be.
Those things that matter to you, those things in your inmost being, those desires I have put in your heart, those are the things I care about too.I am not talking about the dross which so often gets in the way and stops you being the person you know you are. That’s the stuff I want to get shot of!
What I am talking about is that which is you; that stuff that makes you you. That is what I am interested in. It is the rest of the stuff that clutters and hinders that can go.Son, I am proud of you and I would not have you any other way.
I have come to realize that God is the most sensitive respecter of persons. He makes space and creates room for us, and would never allow his personality to consume ours.
This experience has profoundly shaped my understanding of the Gospel.
3 Responses to “More of You”
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njreed2011
Said this on April 24th, 2007 at 2:25pm:Yes, yes, yes! This blog has been on my mind since reading it and I have found it amazingly comforting. I’m not sure why I have never thought in this way before. I have spent so many years knowing God loves me unconditionally but feeling there wasn’t much of me that was “right” enough for Him. However, I can now believe differently (Andy - objective achieved!) and liken the way God feels for me to the way I have always felt for my own child. There is nothing I would change about his personality, there are no flaws and although there are sometimes a few behavioral adjustments required and lessons he needs to learn, to me he is perfect!
As for the clutter I need to get shot of, yes, of course it’s there and is so often the cause of much frustration to myself, friends and family and I am sure God would love to help me improve these small bits. Nevertheless, I am thankful I can understand that these bits do not detract from our true personalities nor do they diminish the love we receive.
N x
anna
Said this on April 24th, 2007 at 11:59pm:Andy - I know we’ve had this conversation before - but that’s a beautiful way of putting something I too have struggled with over those very same words or very similar. They seemed so often to run counter to my experience and I have been uncomfortable with the suggestion that we were being asked to somehow obliterate ourselves to meet God . . . there are many times of course when we need to put others and God first - but that it seems to me is something very different - and we often know exactly when we should be doing that even when we resist. Of course I never felt very good thinking counter to those words. . .so thanks for the liberation!
AJ
Said this on April 25th, 2007 at 8:27am:Nicky, Anna
Thanks for your comments. I loved your mother’s perspective Nicky. And Anna, I agree, God does inspire us to live a life which often puts others first but that does indeed seem something very different.
Please keep the comments coming guys. Not to labour the point too much, but I love doing theology in community.