I have two daughters. When my wife and I were giving birth to our second daughter, my mother-in-law took care of our first daughter who was six years old at the time. We lived 15 miles from the hospital in a different town. Since my mother-in-law was from out-of-town, she relied on my daughter for directions to the hospital. Although she didn’t know street names or compass directions, my daughter described in visual terms every turn and every road to successfully get there. At one point in the route they had to exit a highway and drop down under an overpass onto a city street. As they neared the offramp my daughter instructed her grandmother to, “Go to the side at the crack in the road.” Crude, but effective.
Reconciling Differences
There is a difference between looking at the bird’s eye view of a map to discern a route and translating that to a behind-the-wheel street view. Reconciling the two sources of data or “closing the gap” is necessary to get where you are going. Closing the dissonance gap is important in other areas of life also, like activities and relationships. Here are a few examples. There is a difference between hearing and listening. Listening is carefully hearing with the intention to act on the information. There is a difference between learning and growing. You can learn something, but if you don’t apply it, you miss the opportunity to develop and mature. Wisdom is taking knowledge in your head and using it to impact the values of your heart and affect the actions of your hands. There is a difference between having a friend and being a friend. Having a friend is liking someone or valuing someone based on what you they do for you, what you can get from them, or the good feelings they foster in you. Being a friend is recognizing the inherent value of someone just for who they are and serving them because you care about their wellbeing. There is a difference between religion and a relationship with God. Religion is a system of regulations and practices designed to help one reach a state of spiritual bliss. But it doesn’t address people’s core problem of self-centeredness and self-righteousness. In contrast, in a relationship with God a person recognizes their need for God, drops their way of life to receive his gracious gift of new life, and humbly follows him. This difference between religion and relationship highlights the last contrast I will mention which is the gap between believing in God and believing God. Believing in God is the mental ascent that God exists, but for many that truth has no real impact on their lives (James 2:19). Whereas believing God is recognizing how awesome he is and how broken you are and then putting your faith in him to save you, restore you, and empower you to live the abundant life he designed for you.
Closing the Gap with God
I encourage you to not just believe that God exists. The Bible teaches that even demons acknowledge that God exists, but they shudder at the thought. Go beyond religion to relationship by believing God. By faith, confess any wrongdoing and humbly surrender your way to his better way. Move to the passenger seat and let God drive life’s highway. He loves you and know’s what’s best. Jesus recognized this. He is God the Son who became a man to show people and to enable people to know God personally. He is your perfect example in all things. He lovingly and joyfully carried out God’s will. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19). “I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father” (John 14:31). “I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say” (John 12:49-50). “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will” (John 6:38).
Carrying out the will of God the Father, cost Jesus the Son his life. Jesus willingly died a sacrificial death on the cross and rose again because he knew that was the only way to pay for the righteous wrath of God regarding people’s rebellious, self-centered waywardness. He became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). The gap between heaven and earth closes at the cross of Jesus. That is where God’s amazing grace and people’s utmost need meet. It is by Jesus’ wounds that anyone who trusts in him can be healed (Isaiah 53:3-6; 1 Peter 2:21-25). Close the gap between you and God at the cross of Jesus. By faith lay down your terminal life and receive his better, everlasting life. Jesus is either a stumbling block to people or a cornerstone (Matthew 21:42; 1 Peter 2:4-8; 1 Corinthians 3:11). Instead of rejecting him, tripping over him or trying to go around him to do your own thing, align to him. Build your life on his firm foundation. In his strength you can do all things; apart from him you can do nothing significant (Philippians 4:13; John 15:1-8).
Conclusion
Whether it is merely hearing or really listening, learning or really growing, knowing about God or actually having a personal saving relationship with him, seal any crack in life’s road. Close the gap. Act to have a positive impact not just to exist or serve yourself. Jesus personally bore your sins in his body on the cross so that you can be dead to sin and live for what is right (1 Peter 2:24). Give your life to God and receive his better life. Let him guide your thoughts and behavior. Grow in his wisdom, power, grace, and love so that you become more like Jesus. Then, as Jesus did, help others close their core spiritual gap to find and follow God as well.