The Occasional Atheist

Confession—sometimes I act like an atheist. 

Atheists are people who don’t believe there is a God.  They don’t think God is present and active and interacting with them in every circumstance.  Christians, on the other hand, believe that God is everywhere and he is interacting with them so that all things work together for his glory and their good.  I believe what other Christians believe, but there are times when I act like an atheist.  I forget that God is there, and my attitude and behavior reflects it. 

Usually this occurs when things don’t go as planned.  Something breaks down.  I can’t stay on schedule.  I get in the long line and everyone in front of me needs special assistance. Traffic is at a standstill.  Someone that I’m depending on doesn’t show up.  The computer goes down.  A mile from home I forget something and have to turn around and go back.   I hate it when stuff like that happens and my typical response does not honor Christ, much less take into account his presence and purpose.  It rarely occurs to me that Jesus has a plan that is much bigger than my agenda, and the breakdowns can actually be holy moments.

I’m not an atheist, mind you, I just act like one every now and then.  If a brother or sister were to stop me in the middle of my ungodly reactions and ask if I still believe that God is present and active I would immediately repent and adjust my attitude and behaviors.  But sometimes I forget.

In his book Respectable Sins Jerry Bridges identifies this type of reaction to circumstances as the sin of ungodliness.  Does that sound harsh?  What else would you call thoughts and deeds that do not acknowledge the presence of God? 

On a somewhat larger scale, ungodliness is manifested in categorizing spiritual things—as when a person is focused on Christ at church, but not at work; prays over a meal, but not a habit; loves his family, but not his enemy, etc.
 
The remedy is awareness.
 
Lord, teach us to remember you every moment of every day. 
 
 
Brian