Rambling Thoughts: Obstacles to Loving One Another III

See perhaps our mistaken impression of our Father also brings something else related to busyness. Alienation.

We are not close to great manipulators. We are estranged, and it's a funky estrangement because the mask is one of closeness and affection. A heinous estrangement indeed.

So we don't believe He can be relied on, trusted, etc... And so we don't want to truly grow close to Him, we think we should look like we want to grow closer to Him, because the Bible says so. And we'd rather have a relationship with the Manipulator's playbook, than with the Manipulator himself. But that's just reasonable.

We'll read the playbook, because it's intelligence, it's like an accidentally unclassified document. "I can't believe He left this out. That's how we get what we want out of the Manipulator."

The Manipulator still speaks, but because we believe He is the Manipulator, we don't listen. And perhaps what we do hear, we filter into the paradigm of the Manipulator. He says, "I love you" but we twist it into, "Here's what you have to do to get my affection."

So we have to work hard finding our own way because we don't hear the way He goes. And forget actually walking the way with Him. We'd rather redefine walking with Him to something else, to following a path without Him. Because if the way is where ever the Manipulator goes, then it's best to follow another path. Of course if the Manipulator does randomly drop some goodies to those who do follow, perhaps we can follow Him, but way back. We'll run up when He drops something valuable. But walk with Him, no thank you. The closer you are to a manipulator, the more you are mesmerized into being manipulated.