Simple faith. I think I miss the simplicity of it oftentimes. I think I construct this complex web of expectations around what my faith should look like. Not necessarily the disillusion of having rules and regulations around my faith, but more so about the current performance rating that my faith might be framed within. And it’s not even the performance of my faith based upon what others might think of me, but maybe it’s more about the performance I ”think” God deserves from me?
So here’s the dichotomy of it all…God desires me to grow in my faith and become more of who he’s designed me to be. And He experiences pleasure when I make the choices that bring me closer to that end. But (and this is the key “but”), He expects nothing of or from me…except simply me. God desires the transformation in my heart so that I can become more of His design so that I can experience more of Him, but He doesn’t desire the transformation so that He can reap benefit from the change. He does not need what I have to offer, He desires who I am.
It all comes back to the intent of the act. When it comes to transformation, God’s intention is for my life to change…for me. Often times I twist that and take that which I receive from the transformation and try to make those “things” the point, when in fact the point was the transformation itself. I think I often go to God with finger-paintings from my life hoping that he’ll post them proud on His refrigerator, when in fact I know God was looking back at me, accepting the childish offering with a smile, and telling me softly that my presence with Him is all that He desires.
Does God receive pleasure with what my transformed life produces? Absolutely…but His deep desire and joy come simply from offering myself to Him fully. He does not expect lengthy diatribes (Eccles. 5:2)…He does not desire my accolades (Eccles. 5:15). He instead simply desires “love from a pure heart, from a good conscience and from sincere faith.” (1 Tim. 1:5). God desires me…that’s it. No bells, no whistles, no complexity, no proof of transformation…just me. How could I miss the simplicity?
~chefdave
Sixty-six books in a year 
“I think I often go to God with finger-paintings from my life hoping that he’ll post them proud on His refrigerator,…” I loved that!
Thanks for your post – it is hard to fathom sometimes that although God is pleased with our finger-paintings he loves us not because of the [sometimes childish and crude] art we make but because the art came from us and he loves us so much!
Thank God it is only me that he wants, I have no bells or whistles! I can only be thankful and grateful!