God as Probation Officer

A few weeks ago, a good colleague of mine brought up on interesting observation, "If a client stays sober because God wants him to do so, is he extrinsically or intrinsically motivated for change?" This may sound like a lot of clinical-speak, but the implications for faith are fascinating.

Do we follow God because we feel compelled by outside forces or because something powerfully warm within us beckons us to come and commune with Christ and one another?

In our agency, we often speak of whether clients are extrinsically or intrinsically motivated. Many, if not most of them, are referred to us from probation, the department of family services, or the department of motor vehicles. They often feel forced to be here and to go through whatever we recommend. If they don't, they run the very high risk of never getting their children back, their license back, or their freedom back. They are "extrinsically motivated" - compelled from outside themselves in order to meet some minimum requirement.

On the other hand, quite of few of our clients eventually get to the place where they not only see that others may be forcing them to follow through with recovery or treatment recommendations, but also that they find themselves doing so because something deep inside draws them to make necessary changes. They change for themselves - from the heart, not just because it the right or moral thing to do, but more importantly because the changes arise from their best spiritual selves. Intrinsic change comes from the gut.

In the same way, as followers of Jesus, we too are often faced with this dilemma. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, we possess an "alien righteousness" - i.e. being at peace with God, creation, and even ourselves comes from outside ourselves. In the cross, Christ created at-one-ment. Most of the time, even after we "pray the prayer," we often have to face significant negative consequences in our lives before we are willing to surrender our will and life to this Sovereign God. Living in fear of a judging God traps us like a plague in the oppressive matrix of an often perfectionist institutional church culture.

But for some of us, somewhere in the process, this God on the outside finds his way into our souls. We can speak of God as something wholly other, but then sense his presence within our bosoms as strongly as any natural force. We end up not following God simply to avoid hell or to keep from being struck by the lightning bolt of karma - as some eternal form of "fire" insurance.

We become enlightened with "aha" moments. Our insight and self-awareness increases. We see ourselves as one in Christ as drops of rain in the stream of life. While we may swirl in spiritual eddies from time to time, we can't help but flow with the Way of Life we have found in Christ and that Christ has placed in us.

We "get it" and "it" has "gotten" us. The external has become internal. The outside flows from within. The extrinsic has become intrinsic. God the Probation Officer or Judge becomes not only our wise Guide through the gorgeous, though dangerous precipices and canyons of life, but also our nurturing Parent of our child within and even our passionate, committed Lover who satisfies our souls with rest and sometimes complete ecstasy.