...swimming bee
Lately I’ve been wading in the waters of self-denial. I’ve found myself in deep waters not being able to swim too well, just flailing my arms around trying to look like I know what I’m doing. Self-denial is one of those touchy subjects to us, American Christians, who find much of our happiness in who we are, what we’ve accomplished, and what we own. It’s amazing to me that I’ve been following Jesus Christ for about 8 years and I am just now wrestling with the ideas of sacrifice, surrender, and self-denial. I know a huge weight of this blame falls on me with my ignorance and selfish nature, but I think that because of the prevalence of this ignorant state among American Christians, there’s more going on under the surface than what we see.
Matthew 16:24-25 says that we are to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and to follow him. In order to save our lives we must lose them. This is a foundational verse in my faith that I’ve heard Sunday after Sunday, but never really internalizing it. Part of the reason stems out of our fear that complete surrender results in our total and complete misery, for life without the things that our culture tells us we need, we are nothing. Some think “if I deny myself and give what I have to God, He’ll send me to Africa or India to live in poverty surrounded by millions of people with AIDS.” God Forbid! Is it possible that life outside of this culturally dictated box we can find happiness? Aside from reputation, accomplishments, and possessions can we be content? I would go even as far to say is it possible to live a life that is just as or even happier without family or a significant other? I should hope I am right in saying that. I think that this is what Paul meant when he said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
I don’t think that we are all called to abandon all that we have and adopt extreme asceticism, but I do think that we need to be able, at a moment’s notice, to give it all up without a second thought. Family is a whole different story; though it is not the same to lose family, as it is to lose materials, there are correlations. Family, just like reputation, accomplishments, and possessions, can become an idol and stand, broad shouldered, between you and God.
Like I said, I’m just wading through this pool of controversy and confusion. I don’t claim to know all the answers; I’m trying to search for answers with the authority of scripture, a community of wisdom, and the limited rationale that God has blessed me with. I’m tired of flapping my wings like a bee that hits the surface of the water unable to swim. That bee drowns or gets eaten because swimming goes against what it’s told it can do or be. I don’t want to be like that bee; I want to be a bee that swims.
Books to read on this subject: Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (haven’t read it, but heard it’s good)
Matthew 22:34-40
Pete
Matthew 16:24-25 says that we are to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and to follow him. In order to save our lives we must lose them. This is a foundational verse in my faith that I’ve heard Sunday after Sunday, but never really internalizing it. Part of the reason stems out of our fear that complete surrender results in our total and complete misery, for life without the things that our culture tells us we need, we are nothing. Some think “if I deny myself and give what I have to God, He’ll send me to Africa or India to live in poverty surrounded by millions of people with AIDS.” God Forbid! Is it possible that life outside of this culturally dictated box we can find happiness? Aside from reputation, accomplishments, and possessions can we be content? I would go even as far to say is it possible to live a life that is just as or even happier without family or a significant other? I should hope I am right in saying that. I think that this is what Paul meant when he said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
I don’t think that we are all called to abandon all that we have and adopt extreme asceticism, but I do think that we need to be able, at a moment’s notice, to give it all up without a second thought. Family is a whole different story; though it is not the same to lose family, as it is to lose materials, there are correlations. Family, just like reputation, accomplishments, and possessions, can become an idol and stand, broad shouldered, between you and God.
Like I said, I’m just wading through this pool of controversy and confusion. I don’t claim to know all the answers; I’m trying to search for answers with the authority of scripture, a community of wisdom, and the limited rationale that God has blessed me with. I’m tired of flapping my wings like a bee that hits the surface of the water unable to swim. That bee drowns or gets eaten because swimming goes against what it’s told it can do or be. I don’t want to be like that bee; I want to be a bee that swims.
Books to read on this subject: Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (haven’t read it, but heard it’s good)
Matthew 22:34-40
Pete
posted by Pete at 12:54 AM
2 Comments:
Pete-
Would love to read Rich Christians in a World of Hunger with you. I'll buy you a copy if you'll read it with me. We can invite others. I'll buy... you in?
JMAK
I have been looking for sites like this for a long time. Thank you! » »
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