Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be a serious issue for some individuals. For many of us who are sometimes labeled OCD, it’s a way others categorize those of us who pay close attention to detail in certain areas. I have family members who say I am OCD. Just because I change the toilet paper roll in hotels so it feeds over the top (the correct way, of course) or straighten hanging pictures in other people’s homes doesn’t mean I’m OCD. One website describes the disorder this way:

“OCD” is one of those terms that some people misuse as a way to describe people who like things super-clean or arranged just so. But if you have the actual condition that’s obsessive-compulsive disorder, how it negatively affects your life is very real.

-WebMD

I have a friend who was described as being so OCD that she says she is “CDO”…being sure the letters are put in the proper alphabetical order. I grew up hearing again and again, “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Is that OCD?

My desire is not to make light of a very real disorder that can have many levels of anxiety and is debilitating for some people. But it does make me think of spiritual applications.

I hope I am obsessed with knowing Jesus more deeply each day. I also hope to be obsessed with living in a way that faithfully reflects the nature and love of Christ to those around me. It seems to me that the Apostle Paul was obsessed in that way.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14 NASB

Evangelist Greg Laurie spoke of Paul’s obsession:

“The apostle Paul had something essential for effective evangelism: a God-given burden for those who did not know Jesus Christ. In his case, the burden was for his own people, the Jews. He cared. It burned inside him.”

I hope my desire to study God’s Word becomes almost a compulsive habit, repeated over and over. Not just going through the motions or becoming anxious, but motivated by my understanding of God’s great love for me and His wish to communicate with me through the pages of the Bible. I want to systematically and consistently dive into God’s Holy Word to see what He wants to tell me today.

As for the word disorder? It depends on how you view it. To the lost of this world, our spiritual lives are foolishness. We’ve heard politicians call former Vice President Mike Pence mentally ill because of his strong relationship with Jesus Christ. Many cannot understand that God communicates His love and guidance to us through prayer, the Bible, and even life’s circumstances. Foolishness. And claiming that the Lord Jesus “speaks” to us often triggers accusations that Christians are unbalanced.

I want to live so close to God and His Word that nothing else gets between us. So maybe I’ll change OCD to mean something totally different for my life.

Only

Christ

Directs

Now, let me go straighten a couple of pictures on my wall.

God’s best,