God Block

I don’t really suffer from writer’s block. I suffer from writer’s motivation. I always have tons of ideas. I don’t, however, always have the motivation to write down the ideas.

What I often suffer from is God block. Think of God block in terms of writer’s block. Writer’s block is defined as “A usually temporary psychological inability to begin or continue work on a piece of writing.”

Well, God block is my “usually temporary psychological inability to begin or continue working in God’s Kingdom.” Basically, when God block sets in, I convince myself that I have nothing to offer God or His people. I might as well stay home.

Besides the obvious problems, God block prevents me from serving in the ways I desire. It prevents me from loving in the ways I am called to love. And in some ways, God block stifles my creativity because, instead of focusing on others, I turn inward and become self-focused.

Self-focus does not write my blog. Being outwardly focused does. Selfishness finds me sitting on my rear end, wading in a pool of self-doubt, unwilling to write and unable to create.

Selflessness, on the other hand, finds me swimming laps in pools of truth, refreshed by the water and motivated to share with others.

So, how do I break God block? Well, there are always the stereotypical Christian-ese answers–quiet time, prayer, reading the Word. These all help, yes. I am not slamming them, either, as I do believe they should be a part of the Christian life.

For me, however, breaking God block comes down to one simple word: obedience.

I don’t necessarily like the word obedience. I find it stifling and uncomfortable. Yet, the more time I have known Jesus, the more I have realized that, if ever I want to bust out of the complacency box, I have to just do it (thank you, Nike, for your endless contributions to pop culture).

Obedience often means saying “yes” when saying “no” feels better. It means agreeing with God that He is right and He knows what He’s talking about, even when my sneaking suspicion (i.e. flesh) tells me otherwise.

God block is broken by obedience. Obedience leads to freedom. Freedom leads to uninhibited pursuit of Christ. And, when I am unhindered in my pursuit of Christ, everything else flows easily, whether it be patience, mercy, thankfulness, or even the words on a page.

I can write because I am writing for Him, not for myself. I can write because He is worthy and I am not. I can write because, quite simply, it’s about Him, not me.

What is your “block”? What blocks you from God, if anything? What blocks you from serving, creating, or enjoying freedom?