Re-deciding Syndrome

Day one hundred thirty-seven

Sometimes I am surprised by the thoughts I have, especially the not so positive thoughts.  As hard as I try to push the negative thoughts out of my head they just seem to linger longer than I 'd like.  I have found that these thoughts usually come when I am feeling stressed and uncomfortable about something, which is really the time when I need to be thinking about God. So this morning I talked to God about this dilemma and let Him know that I am working on controlling it. I am trying to focus more on Him and less on all the frustrations that present themselves.  I shared with Him my plan to ask myself, "Where is God in this situation?" whenever I start to have negative thoughts.  Now I just have to have faith that He will help me along the way.  

 Exodus 31-34

These chapters discuss the problems that the Israelites had committing to the Lord and the consequences of their actions.  While Moses was on the mountain being taught by the premortal Christ, his people down below are becoming restless.  It seems they were afflicted with what one author calls the "re-deciding syndrome".They had trouble with long-term loyalty to the Lord, and kept "re-deciding" whether or not to keep the covenants they had made with Him.  (The Old Testament Made Easier, David J Ridges)

This is still a problem for many Christians today.  They keep 're-deciding' whether or not to attend church, pay tithing, and so forth.  Such lack of complete commitment, as seen with the Israelites, takes a toll on one's spirituality and peace of mind.

What causes this "re-directing' syndrome?  

Impatience: 
The Israelites show a lack of patience with the Lord and His servants.  They want instant results.

Exodus 32:1 - "...the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us..."

Critical of the Lord's Servant:
Because of their impatience they start to complain about Moses taking too long on the mountain.

Exodus 32:1 - "...for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of Egypt, we wot not what become of him."

Look for other things to worship:
Aaron gathers the gold from the people and creates an idol for the people to worship.

Exodus 32:4 -  "...he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."

Choosing Physical Pleasure instead of God:
The Israelites choose to have a feast, make burnt offerings, and party before their new idol. 

Exodus 32: 6 - "And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought  peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play."

Peer Pressure:
When Moses asks Aaron what the people did that would make him turn to making an idol, Aaron answers:

Exodus 32:22 - "Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief."

In other words he says, "you know how prone these people are to do evil."  Aaron let the pressure of the people over take his love for the Lord.

As I was searching for the reasons behind the Israelites actions I wanted to be angry with them.  I wanted to say, "How could you turn on your God so easily?".  Instead I found myself realizing that I have been guilty of all these things too. 

I am not always willing to be patient and wait for things to unfold in the Lord's time.

I have not always been positive about decisions that leaders have made.

I have been guilty of putting other things before God.

I have found myself putting my physical needs before my spiritual needs.

And I definitely have been guilty of caving to peer pressure.

It is certain that I have been afflicted with the dreaded re-deciding syndrome at times in my life.

To deal with these issues Moses calls out for the people to repent, some will repent and some won't.  Those that don't repent end up losing their lives.  It is the same call to us when we are afflicted with this re-deciding syndrome, Repent or lose your ability to be with God. 

This was a very humbling lesson for me because I could see myself among the Israelites making the same mistakes they did.  It also made me think about how quickly I judge people by their actions.  It brought some truth to the statement that: "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." ~ Carl Gustav Jung. I have a feeling that I will be pondering over this lesson for a while as I work on strengthening my commitment and loyalty to God and being less judgemental of those around me. I have a lot of work to do!