Compass Needle

My heart is like a compass-needle. It does no good to forcibly orient it to the “right” direction and lock it there, because as the compass body moved the needle would no longer be freely pointing toward magnetic north (“truth”) but toward the same spot on the compass perimeter. The needle must be always allowed to be free if it is to eventually find and point toward its true goal.

This is like religious rules and church-oriented religion. Church could be a protected environment where hearts have freedom to bounce around and swing back and forth while they tune in closer and closer to the true mother-lode far outside the church. But to lock down the needle and try to dictate what direction it must point prematurely destroys the needles capacity to adapt to changing circumstances and experiences. Legalism locks hearts. The Son sets us free to seek His face.

Then there's the other problem. If we stay in too close proximity to other magnetic attractions, our needle will be drawn to sway from its right direction and will give false headings for guiding our decisions. They will appear true and will feel fulfilling temporarily, but they are deceptive and will damage our progress and growth. They appear to be stronger that the mother-lode magnet but are actually very weak impostors by direct comparison. Their influence over us is based primarily on their close proximity and not on their correctness of position. They cause our needle to swing wildly about at times and give erratic readings and our only solution is to distance ourselves from them far enough for us to again sense the still, silent but immense, quiet tug of the true lover of our soul.

Men who are as true to duty as the needle to the pose must not be dogmatic and arbitrary. They have to be very sensitive and seek God's face continually. They must maintain a safe distance from distracting magnetic attractions so they can keep their hearts free to love and worship the One True God. They will live in community that can give them context and protection but that will also respect, encourage and maintain the free pivot point from which their heart can seek God in their uniqueness.