When we traveled through Europe, one of my desires was to see the castles and cathedrals I had heard so much about. Our journey took us through many countries, languages, currencies and customs. Castles and cathedrals were in abundance.
After days of ooohing and aaaahing over the splendor and grandeur, I felt like my eyes were glazing over. My attitude became, “you’ve seen one; you’ve seen them all”. It was hard for me to believe I could feel that way.
I was experiencing overexposure.
Recently in the news, a man was stabbed and lay bleeding on the street for an hour. People walked by. One even stopped to look under him to see the pool of blood. No one helped. In their world, drunks and homeless people lay on the street all the time. Why was this one any different? He died as they traveled on.
They have overexposure.
When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, they had the pillar of fire, the cloud, the manna, water from the rock, and the parting of the sea. As the cloud led them each day, the pillar of fire provided light and heat each night and manna fed them every day, their attitude echoed mine while traveling in Europe. You’ve seen one miracle; you’ve seen them all. They grumbled, complained and worshipped a golden calf.
They had overexposure.
Today we have abundant churches, Bibles, and preachers. Podcasts and television give us a constant source of spiritual teachings. It has all become mere words.
We have encountered overexposure.
Do we actually hear the words spoken in church on Sunday morning? Or are we there for show, ritual, or out of guilt? Is reading the Bible daily just something we can brag about to others, or do the words still jump off the page with meaning and direction for our lives?
It is hard for me to believe I could ever feel blasé about my relationship with the Almighty. But past experiences tell me it can occur in my life.
I don’t want to suffer from overexposure. Do you?
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Great devo, Joy. I have times when I get that "overexposure" feeling and slack off, but then my life and my mood start falling apart, and I realize it's time to get back in touch with God. Thanks for the good word.
Cat
