I definitely realize that my last post wasn't very clear. I've been reading a lot of "how to blog" advice and many of them say that a blog should have a central focus. I thought that I had one, but then I wasn't sure, and I let that keep me from writing. I really don't know the best answer for this, but I miss writing.
So for now, I'll just keep posting my thoughts and asking for yours in return, okay?
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Something I’ve noticed about people in general is that we are really good at misunderstanding each other. We get so focused on our way of living, being, doing that we can’t really see each other. I see this everywhere, but because of my experience I notice it a lot in the church.
I know that because of who I am, I can get caught up in deficits – what’s not right in a certain situation. That’s not the mindset I’m trying to set forth. I don’t want this to be a “what I hate about the American church” spiel. That’s not my goal at all.
But what I see often is an inability to relate to people who do things differently. Maybe it’s how someone dresses or wears their hair. Maybe it’s the “calling” or purpose that they feel is on their life. Whatever it is, our tendency as humans is to consider the way we do things as the best way.
In the church, it seems to play out in two extremes with lots of variations in between. There are those that have a very strict mindset: “Wear this, do these things, and stay in church as much as possible. Follow the rules set by those in authority.” They tend to say things like “that person just need to get right” and are intensely prideful about the way they live their lives. The other extreme is to look with disdain on those who subscribe to a more traditional way of doing church. They mock those that persevere through the problems that do occur, and consider those that stick around as lame or “legalistic” without trying to understand the heart behind it.
Although I don’t think I was necessarily at either extreme, I definitely had an attitude of judgment. I was unconsciously “ranking” people’s choices or ways of living according to my personal convictions or ideas about how the world works.
I think that I missed out on a lot of great people and ideas because of that.
It’s humbling to realize that my attitude was so wrong, and so limiting. Through that humility though, I can see things and people in a way that is so incredibly exciting. I’m learning to welcome and be thrilled by differences because I’m okay with knowing I don’t have it all together. That doesn’t change my value, nor does it make my opinions invalid.
I believe that God is limitless, complex, and wonderfully creative. Being godly isn’t about how you dress or about fitting into people’s perception of what it means to be a Christian. It’s all about Jesus. It’s about learning to hear what he has to say to you daily, and following that faithfully. Every day. Step by step. It’s so simple, yet it’s incredibly difficult to do. It requires effort and uncertainty. There are days that I feel confident and know exactly where to go. There are others where I struggle to hear clearly and feel like I’m screwing up completely. Sometimes I’ll feel both in the same day.
I think that might be why it’s easy to fall into just following the rules, or in sticking to a prescribed way of doing things. I believe many people mean well, and want to live flawlessly. So we boil things down, oversimplify, and confine ourselves to what we know.
But where’s the adventure in that?
I'm learning to see God’s plan for me as just that: perfectly and wonderfully for me. I’m learning to be confident in what I believe I am supposed to do, without setting myself above someone else. I can authentically embrace people that are doing things differently, and be excited about their journey even if it is wildly different from mine.
I think that’s pretty cool, just sayin’ :D
