| As long as we stay in the dark about how we see the world and the wounds and beliefs that have shaped who we are, we’re prisoners of our history. We’ll continue going through life on autopilot doing things that hurt and confuse ourselves and everyone around us. Eventually, we become so accustomed to making the same mistakes over and over in our lives that they lull us to sleep (Ian Morgan Cron—The Road Back to You). Accepting oneself does not preclude an attempt to become better—Flannery O’Connor. Recently I shared these two quotes with my staff. Inside the human condition is always a tug-a-war between who we are, what we project to others, and the person we desire to be. If I had to guess, at different stages of one’s life, one of the above three is more dominant. Carl Jung’s teachings on self-actualization and the interplay between the self and the shadow are perfect examples of this tug-a-war. It is a universal struggle for every person. It is here that I think Christianity has a powerful voice in proclaiming a path to wholeness (salvation in New Testament). The path begins with an honest acceptance of who one is. Granted, there are various ways the New Testament illustrates this beginning step from examples of people who saw the Old Testament Law (10 Commandments) as a mirror revealing the nature of a person, gospels examples where people are confronted with Jesus only to realize their disposition of the heart (Zacchaeus), to another experiencing the resurrected Christ where all pretense is stripped away. The path for each person begins with the same first step of identity, “I really am this type of person.” Thankfully, and this is the really good part, Christ is never content to leave a person where He meets him or her. The objective is for the person’s nature to become like the nature of the Resurrected Lord. Equally comforting, God is not a sadistic gym teacher that sets a bar too high to reach only to watch a person go crazy and burn. The secret of God is that God joins the person through the mystical union of faith so that together, as a new creation (1 Cor 5:17), infused with the Holy Spirit, the person begins the path to wholeness. A person might begin with an honest acceptance of who he or she is but that is not what they ultimately become. Thanks be to God for his rich glory and grace. Amen.  This Week’s Readings: * Monday – Acts 17 * Tuesday – Acts 18 * Wednesday- Acts 19 * Thursday – Acts 20 * Friday- Acts 21 Prayer Requests: * Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC. * Strengthen our Country and Leaders, here and abroad. * Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. * Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. * Give our leaders extra wisdom as they navigate this pandemic and economic uncertainty. * Help those seeking to find their way. |
| “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6 |