Has everything in life shifted toward the experts? Specialization is a blessing to the consumer when it comes to matters of health care or building cabinets. In these zones our consumption will keep pace as far as finances endure. In the marketplace the best is usually performed by the professional. Shoddy workmanship or cheap materials pale in comparison to "Grade A" quality....even when it comes to milk and eggs.
In the faith arena "best" remains key, but is not always under the banner one would believe. Best is not in skill, but in trust. Moses tried to argue against this point; yet, even in feeble and fumbling objection he accomplished what he knew he couldn't; but what God knew he could. The voice of God has been silenced as Christians have self-muted due to fear of not being professional enough in their approach to a business colleague or an elderly neighbor.
Mike Yaconelli rehearses a time when (as he worked at L'Arche, a home for mentally handicapped adults)he finally had to accept his own brokenness as he discovered he, too, was a sinner. He felt perpetual need to apologize, to run from his weaknesses, and to deny who he was. He made strong efforts to rebound with determination to be professional; not broken.
At L'Arche, it became very clear to me that I had totally misunderstood the Christian faith. I came to see that it was my brokenness, in my powerlessness, in my weakness that Jesus was made strong. It was in the acceptance of my lack of faith that God could give me faith. It was in the embracing of my brokenness that I could identify with others' brokenness. It was my role to identify with others' pain, not to relieve it. Ministry was sharing, not dominating; understanding, not theologizing; caring, not fixing....
Maybe our faith would take on a more meaningful tone if we could abandon the need to be ideal and simply become normal. Jesus is the new normal. Arise to believing God can/is/will use you to connect by sharing, understanding, and caring.
4 comments:
Many also quit church for this reason. Am I ideal enough to go and be with the other ideal people? As we move away from preaching/teaching that we are the only ones and that our perfectionism is what God is watching for - then we can grow strong in his faith and relax in our normalness as we depend on HIM and what HE did for us.
luv ya,
Billye
Good post, as always. But I must say I like the new look much better. The old white print on black background was very difficult to read.
I like your new look as well. Much easier to read. And you always have such good things to read!! :)
Terry,
Great post as always brother!
Post a Comment