This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & YouthThe idea of being reminded of things has really had me thinking lately. I don't know about you, but when I am reminded of something, or something is repeated to me, my natural response is not always to think of how valuable that truth or information could be for my life. Often times my thought is, "yeah, yeah, I know." As I have thought about this I have come to the conclusion that for me, this is very much a pride issue. To be confronted with truth means that I need to see how I measure up to that truth, and when I fall short it can cause something inside of me to rise up and be defensive, and part of that defense can be to tune out.
What are some ways that you remain open to the truths of God without letting your pride or the need to pretend like you have it all together cause you to close off? What are some things in your life that you use as reminders to examine your spiritual walk and relationship with God? I pray that each of us remains open to the truths of God in our lives and the variety of reminders that He has put in place.
I try to remain open to God's Truth by allowing myself to be held accountable by others in the Lord who truly "have my back" and in fact, do not claim to "have it all together." They also trust me to be the same for them. No condemnation, just concern for one another and truth in love. When I allow myself to be known by others, they can usually spot pride issues and help me get over myself.
ReplyDeleteSadly, over the years I am finding it harder to find other Christians willing to take the time to be authentic and who are brave enough to confront (remind)each other without fear of a negative response. We seem to have a shortage of those who won't allow things to simply end with someone saying, "Yeah, yeah, I know all that." But who will actually continue to persist and say, "It's great that you know. SO NOW what? What are you going to do with that knowledge?"
To be sure, we all fall short. We all tune God's truth out at times and defensively justify our actions. I just pray that we each have someone we trust who loves us enough and is courageous enough to keep on reminding us...and then make sure we are listening.
Ruth you are so right. Being in an accountable relationship can be difficult for all of us because it means being willing to be completely honest. It is so much easier to just put on the happy Christian face and mind our own business, but I agree with you that it is crucial for us to walk with one another and learn what God has for us. Thank you for your response!
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