Is Manifestation A Worthwhile Pursuit?
In a recent edition of The Culture Translator,
I read that as of June 2, #manifestation sits at 36 billion views on Tik Tok. 36 Billion! That’s proof of the far-reaching influence of Tik Tok, but also the desperate need people have for hope.
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Hope that they can change their lives. Hope for fulfilling their dreams. (As an aside, I highly recommend subscribing to The Culture Translator. The weekly email keeps me up to date on current trends in pop culture and looks at them through a Biblical lens. So helpful.) But back to manifestation.
The idea of manifestation is the thought that something theoretical becomes real. Researching manifestation I found things like this quote from an Elle magazine article on January 5th. “Manifesting is a practice that benefits literally every area of your life because it empowers you to become the very best version of yourself that exists, embody the person you most want to become, and help you to unlock the infinite potential that you have to create the life of your dreams.” And a blog post called “9 Steps to Manifest What You Really Want in Life”. Those steps are:
- Understand yourself
- Remove limiting thoughts
- Be clear about what you want
- Get your ask out there
- Make consistent efforts
- Believe in yourself
- Practice positive affirmations
- Acknowledge and appreciate small wins
- Remain patient
What’s Manifestation All About?
We are being told that there is a formula for making things turn out just like you want the too. And that, my friends, is a steaming pile of excrement. There are things within our control (as must as anything can be), and things we will NEVER be able to influence. To believe anything different is to give ourselves false hope. God tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
There is pretty compelling evidence that maintaining a positive attitude and working hard benefits us and others. But we can’t pretend that we can control other people in our lives, much less the God of the Universe. To believe in our power to manifest anything into being is to believe that we always know best. That what we want supersedes what others want and what God wills. That’s an incredibly arrogant position from which to live.
In addition, Lydia Sohn writes in The Atlantic that manifestation has a “fragile ethical foundation” because it can imply that when bad things happen, it’s somehow due to negligence on the part of the victim. In other words, if we can bring something good into being, then it must be our fault when bad things happen to us. We can’t have it both ways.
So What Can We Do?
Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross brought grace into our world. It abolished the need to strive in our own power to make things happen. Although God gives us gifts and talents to use, they are ultimately for His glory. And that should always be our main goal. Any thoughts of self-advancement should fall under the desire to point to Christ.
Sohn continued, “The practice of prayer presupposes that while we can express and pursue our preferences, we ultimately hand them over to someone with a perspective much broader and a love more generous than any of us can fathom.” This type of prayer takes a lot of trust in God as it feels like releasing any control we have. But the truth is, we only imagine we have any real control. There is a bigger power, a bigger plan and a greater love waiting to blanket you in peace. The peace that comes from the cessation of striving.
Trust of this magnitude is not easy. It is something I pursue every day. But there is peace and joy in the pursuit. Because I know I’m not in control. And that’s more freeing than you can imagine. I’m praying for you in this.
And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!
Barbara Lee Harper has written a beautiful explanation of the gospel message and why it matters so much in Do You Want to Be Free?
The Link Up
1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.
2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.
3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).
We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.
MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
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LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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Now Let’s Link Up!
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