It's day two and I haven't even told anyone about this blog! (Other than my husband) Guess I need to do that. When I realize the ramifications of letting people in on this formerly private practice (writing) it feels a little scary! And already I find myself thinking throughout the day, "hey, I should put THIS on the blog...or maybe this....no, this" Great. The last thing I want is to make this an idol.
None of us really delights in correction, evaluation, assessment....whatever you want to call it. Unless it is completely complementary, we have a shrinking feeling that wells up when someone comes to us with a word that is meant to help us grow. For some of us, correction may have not taken place in a constructive or loving way and we have grown up with a "bad taste in our mouth" for anything like this. But I know God wants me to grow in this area, being willing to hear helpful observations and seeing it as God's kindness to me. The person I so respect in the area of making kind and helpful observations is Tina, my Care Group Leader's wife. She is full of grace when speaking to others. Oh, that we all could remember to point out more positives than negatives when coming to someone! I know that, at least in our church body, which is, by the way, part of Sovereign Grace Ministries http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/, we are taught to do this. So helpful. As a little illustration about how we dislike correction: two days ago, my oldest daughter came walking in the house crying, nearly beside herself trying to catch her breath between sobs to tell me that she had just be corrected by a lady police officer. She and her friend were playing with the wagon on the sidewalk and were turning it around...ending up partway into the street, when the police car pulled up behind them and they heard "Girls, you need to get back on the sidewalk, you can't be in the street." (No, I don't encourage my 8 year old to play in the street!) Our street is very quiet and most of the kids do ride in the street on bikes or scooters. But the correction was appropriate and Keaton was sooo upset. She was much more upset by the fact that it was a Police Officer and not just her mother telling her to get out of the street. This tells me something! After talking her through it all, I think she understood that this policewoman was being kind by trying to keep her safe and out of harm's way. I too, was thankful, and it was a teachable moment about safety.
But as I look at my life and how I handle correction, I see the 34-year-old version. I may become hurt (i.e. angry) that someone sees less than perfection in me. Why? Because I want to be perfect at all times, and I want everyone else to believe this about me. Why? Because I want to be exalted. Why? Because I want to be self-sufficient and complete. But I am not these things. I am broken. I am in need of God's work. Only God is perfect, self-sufficient, and complete in Himself. And others bringing this more into focus is a helpful thing. Now, this isn't an open invitation for everyone to come at once and bring some evaluation to me today!
But I am asking that the Lord would soften my heart to see this as a much needed and gracious thing.
Here is a helpful quote from Milton Vincent: "Pride always precedes every sinful stumbling in my life. Therefore, if I am to experience deliverance from sin, then I must be delivered from the pride that produces it. Thankfully, the gospel is engineered to accomplish this deliverance. Nothing suffocates my pride more than daily reminders regarding the glory of my God, the gravity of my sins, and the crucifixion of God's own Son in my place. Pride wilts in the atmosphere of the gospel."-- from A Gospel Primer
None of us really delights in correction, evaluation, assessment....whatever you want to call it. Unless it is completely complementary, we have a shrinking feeling that wells up when someone comes to us with a word that is meant to help us grow. For some of us, correction may have not taken place in a constructive or loving way and we have grown up with a "bad taste in our mouth" for anything like this. But I know God wants me to grow in this area, being willing to hear helpful observations and seeing it as God's kindness to me. The person I so respect in the area of making kind and helpful observations is Tina, my Care Group Leader's wife. She is full of grace when speaking to others. Oh, that we all could remember to point out more positives than negatives when coming to someone! I know that, at least in our church body, which is, by the way, part of Sovereign Grace Ministries http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/, we are taught to do this. So helpful. As a little illustration about how we dislike correction: two days ago, my oldest daughter came walking in the house crying, nearly beside herself trying to catch her breath between sobs to tell me that she had just be corrected by a lady police officer. She and her friend were playing with the wagon on the sidewalk and were turning it around...ending up partway into the street, when the police car pulled up behind them and they heard "Girls, you need to get back on the sidewalk, you can't be in the street." (No, I don't encourage my 8 year old to play in the street!) Our street is very quiet and most of the kids do ride in the street on bikes or scooters. But the correction was appropriate and Keaton was sooo upset. She was much more upset by the fact that it was a Police Officer and not just her mother telling her to get out of the street. This tells me something! After talking her through it all, I think she understood that this policewoman was being kind by trying to keep her safe and out of harm's way. I too, was thankful, and it was a teachable moment about safety.
But as I look at my life and how I handle correction, I see the 34-year-old version. I may become hurt (i.e. angry) that someone sees less than perfection in me. Why? Because I want to be perfect at all times, and I want everyone else to believe this about me. Why? Because I want to be exalted. Why? Because I want to be self-sufficient and complete. But I am not these things. I am broken. I am in need of God's work. Only God is perfect, self-sufficient, and complete in Himself. And others bringing this more into focus is a helpful thing. Now, this isn't an open invitation for everyone to come at once and bring some evaluation to me today!
But I am asking that the Lord would soften my heart to see this as a much needed and gracious thing.
Here is a helpful quote from Milton Vincent: "Pride always precedes every sinful stumbling in my life. Therefore, if I am to experience deliverance from sin, then I must be delivered from the pride that produces it. Thankfully, the gospel is engineered to accomplish this deliverance. Nothing suffocates my pride more than daily reminders regarding the glory of my God, the gravity of my sins, and the crucifixion of God's own Son in my place. Pride wilts in the atmosphere of the gospel."-- from A Gospel Primer
No comments:
Post a Comment