Living As Exiles
"...be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2
Here's what's on my mind.
Three things have been growing momentum in my world. Let me unpack what I mean.
The aspects of being made as a person who is wholly insufficient on his own opposes everything in the cultural echo chambers that continue to tout the unwavering anthem of "JUST DO YOU." The implication being that everyone is AUTONOMOUS, INDEPENDENT, and SELF-SUFFICIENT. But anyone who has ever had to change a dirty diaper, played in an orchestra, participated in a team sport, or ventured to the grocery store for provisions will quickly recognize the folly in the statement. We are about as autonomous and independent as the earth is to the rest of the planets in the solar system. So to continue to find the numerous ways God has made me interdependent on others continues to astound me. In the world of brain science, I can't really even know who I am without looking in the face of another and read the message in their eyes as to who I am and how I am seen. I need you to have an identity. I can't do that on my own. And so within the walls of the church, we find ourselves coming together to worship often thinking that it's just about me and Jesus....and we forget that the Holy Spirit indwells everyone there. When we look at the people around us, we are seeing Jesus in each one of them. As differentiated people...we can't worship God unless we can do it in community. Where two or three are gathered...remember. But this leads me to the next understanding of being a "DISCIPLE" of Jesus. Besides being differentiated so that I need another disciple to disciple me and vice versa...I am reminded of how Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs. As a student of Jesus, I am more than a person who has obtained mercy and atonement. I am a member of the class who is leaning in and expecting that by being with Jesus and His people, I am being transformed into a person whose character is being changed...radically transformed...to actually be a person that is nothing like the person I use to be. A butterfly that looks nothing like the larva it began as. But transformation always happens in RELATIONSHIP. I am unable to build the character and maturity to fill in the swiss cheese aspects of my identity without someone to help me. I can't be a disciple without another to help me recognize what needs to be worked on and improved. But that is critical if I am ever going to reach my DESTINY that God has planned into my story. Destiny is not one of the things I have considered much over the course of my life. But the clock ticks and the reality that I am living now in the kingdom... continues to grow into a deeper sense of urgency to fulfill the mandates I have been given and the opportunities I have received to not just live in the kingdom, but to be involved in building it. But as I look over my life and my story and consider my destiny, the sense that even it is tied to the stories and lives of so many people. My "GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES" continue to unfold. Those who have spoken into my life and walked with me in very broken places. Those who I have walked beside in order to be a comfort or encouragement. All of us following the TEACHER...learning a new language of listening more and talking less. The pathway continues to light me up as I see lives changing and flourishing and healing and looking more like the TEACHER, JESUS. I am looking for ways to give away what I have learned and this too requires someone to give it to. I can't do that alone either. So at the end of the day....these three elements continue to stir up inside me the deepest longings and desire for healthy emotional connection, relationships that are full of joy rather than fear. Where is that place in which I am seen and valued, and helped to be my best self by gentle protectors that love me too much to let me continue to get it wrong. The place that has provided so much of that has been in the structure provided by the HESED DISCIPLESHIP NETWORK and the three to five group structures they have helped me organize around their S.A.L.V.E. growth model. The Holy Spirit has allowed me to see him working to bring together the people he wanted to be a part of my story and vice versa. Figuring out these three pieces...D Cubed...I have been able to figure out how I can begin shaping healthy relationships for myself and others even in the middle of situations where others are struggling ...maybe even more because of the relational chaos that is so prevalent today. If being part of an emotionally healthy spiritual community is a point of interest for you, consider checking into the resources and opportunities found in the HESED DISCIPLESHIP NETWORK website or drop the team a line at their email address of: [email protected]. To better understand how to do relationship....remember it is CAUGHT more than TAUGHT...so finding some friends who are willing to do the hard work and practice growing the skills can be one of the most fruitful endeavors in growing relationships. Until next time... Shalom friends.
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Mike
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