I am starting in a new small group on Wednesday nights and I am really looking forward to it! It's a group where I know about half the people so I get some of the familiarity that brings but still get the opportunity to meet new people. Last week we met to decide what we were going to talk about the next 10 weeks and this week we are meeting for treats and just to get to know each other better. We decided on 10 different topics that we all would like to know more about and laid them out in an order that really was determined by when someone wanted to lead on that topic. Despite the randomness of it, I think it's going to be good.
Because I am a glutton for punishment and kind of a do-gooder and realized that if I go first, no one can compare me to anyone else if I go first, I volunteered to lead the first discussion. I don't have to give a 3-point sermon or anything, it's really just facilitating discussion.
My topic is Freedom in Christ. I'm supposed to kind of weave in the ideas of self-identity and comparison to others. The general idea is that many of us live as if we were burdened with Christianity and don't express joy in our lives. I have a million other thoughts on this and they are all over the place. I would love your thoughts on this topic. Any verses that come to mind? Any personal stories I can use as an example? Anything?
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3 comments:
No verses leap to mind but I think it's a great and worthwhile topic to wrestle with.
A friend and I have been talking a lot about learning to love the bad parts of ourselves, because God made us and that includes those bad parts. As for the comparison part, we've acknowledged that for every good quality somebody has, there is usually a negative side, manifestation or reason behind that quality and we must identify these things in ourselves and work to minimize the negative impact. For example, I identified that while I am excellent at organizing and getting things done, I may do so in a way that runs over other people, or disregards their ideas or contributions because they didn't offer them quick enough to be efficient or effective. In those moments I should ask whether I am valuing people or productivity. And as cliche as it is, perhaps ask, WWJD? I imagine that many times he'd sacrifice productivity in order to support, encourage and edify others. I personally find that so hard, because others' "ineffectiveness" (at least that's how I view it) can have many potential ramifications, which affect me and I think it sucks to have to deal with the consequences. But that impatience, and dare I say, unloving attitude may just be something I need to grow in.
And most of all, I MUST remember that my continued failures are not looked upon with impatience or sighed at with exasperation by the Lord; rather he is eternally patient and forgiving and the giver of many chances to try and get it right. He doesn't rush or steamroll; he always gives me the opportunity to try things out and learn and grow. And boy oh boy am I grateful for that when I actually consider what I 'deserve' rather than what I actually get from him!
Pretty much any book by Brennan Manning. :) The freedom that comes from grasping God's grace is a message that never gets old (not that I ever really grasp it). Enjoy your new group Liz!
P.S. and there is so much freedom in God's unconditinal love and grace for us!!
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