So…a friend suggested I watch a Ryan Gosling movie called Lars and the Real Girl. The premise is simple: a guy who has problems relating romantically to women buys a life-sized, anatomically correct doll to be his girlfriend. I’m not sure which is harder to watch…him as he relates so tenderly to this ‘thing’ or the way his friends adapt to his ‘girlfriend’ and incorporate her into their lives too.

For a while now (long before Lars) I’ve been thinking about how we treat God a lot like Bianca (Lars’ bogus babe).

Think about it: like a blow-up doll we carry both sides of the conversation. If there’s affection, it’s our responsibility. It’s often a tragically one-sided relationship.

I wonder why we relate to God this way. Could it be we’re really uncomfortable with silence? The people of Israel waited 400 years during the intertestimental period (between Malachi and Jesus). Or perhaps we struggle to distinguish the difference between His voice and our own. The truth: it mostly takes a quiet heart to hear His voice. Not that He can’t get our attention anytime He chooses. Annie Dillard said if we really knew who God was, we’d all wear crash helmets to church each weekend. And He certainly shouted at times in history. But mostly…it’s a still small voice.

So…how do we go from God the blow-up doll to God the one we sense, feel, and hear?

Allow Him to be Him. Allow for mystery. Don’t think for a moment that you can order Him around or use promises in the Bible to bribe or coerce. And like any other relationship…it has a certain rhythm. It also has highs and lows. Times of elation and times of quiet reflection.

One more thing…don’t treat Him as if you have Him entirely figured out. Trust me…you will NEVER get THERE.