I have discovered a new problem when it comes to clearly and effectively communicating. Oops, let me clarify. I personally have stumbled across an issue I am sure has been present for quite some time, just as Columbus discovered America is only sort of true as it was certainly already in existence. And let's not split hairs over where his ship landed and if perhaps it was really Magellan or Vespucci or Oscar De la Renta. I am quite confident it was not me. I have difficulty knowing where any of my children are at any given moment and when I discover a strange new land it is never intentional and the route never remembered. But I digress.
Have you ever noticed that we often all use the same words but we mean entirely different things by them? This is the case in the world in general. But I have noticed it particularly within the community of the church, big picture meaning all Christianity, as opposed to my own in particular. For example, I have noticed the word 'call' gets thrown about in deeply spiritual discussions and we all think we know what we mean, but I don't think we do. And when we talked about salvation and grace, the same sort of head nodding goes on, but on deeper inspection I think we are talking apples and oranges. I think it's probably all fruit but not quite the same thing. I attended a conference over the weekend that was a fingernails on the chalkboard reminder that we all use the same terminology but we have different destinations in mind. I find myself angry and frustrated as it is very difficult to communicate with people who are using the same words but speaking in another language. I once met a military wife from England. She was in the English Navy and married an officer in the US Navy and moved from England to Pascagoula, Mississippi. I asked her how she had adjusted to the change in culture. She said it had been hard but the worst part was the language. We all spoke English but she didn't understand what we were saying. She said it would have been much easier if we had spoken spanish or japanese or german, then she would have been better prepared. I know what she meant. Turns out the church can be just as much a culture shock.
Is this another example of the Tower of Babel? What purpose could all this point/counter point christian double speak serve? How can we further the Kingdom by making disciples for Christ when we don't even all agree on what that means? How is it that we end up functioning as a Body when despite what Paul has said about the foot not being able to tell the hand it's not needed, we seem to do that all the time. And as a sidebar thought, who exactly are the unpresentable parts we treat with special modesty? I guess more to the point is this: what is God's point? I have no difficulty believing that the God of all creation, of all time and all knowledge has the ability to straighten out the mess and smack some sense into his stupid sheep if he wishes to do so. So, why doesn't he?
I have given this some serious thought over the last 48 hours. While I am by no means representing myself as an authority or even a potential voice for God, I have a couple of thoughts. One is based in good counseling practice, the opportunity to help people come to their own positive solutions for addressing a need. It is never effective to fix people, they break again. However enabling them to discover ways to fix themselves seems to be fairly effective. Could that be part of God's heart? Could it also be that God allows us these conflicts to define and articulate for ourselves our own beliefs? Could it be conflict itself is a tool for communication, for teachable moments when seeds can be planted, watered, fed and eventually harvested?
I don't care for conflict. I care even less for resolving conflict. I will confess that I would infinitely prefer to quit, take my marbles and go home, shake the dust off of my feet, than engage in the resolution process. I wish that you would either agree with me, or quit talking to me. Surely that isn't asking too much. My heavenly father however seems to feel that my wholeness and the redemption being worked out in my life thrives best in the resolution process. I believe this is the message in Ephesians 6 about the armor of God, when Paul writes to put on the armor of God so when the day of evil comes we will be able to stand our ground and even after we have done everything else, still remain standing. I know you may mean something entirely different about the day of evil, but let me tell you conflict is a day of evil for me! I greatly fear falling. I think it's my first response to conflict and I often react out of that fear in anger. Maybe all this confrontation is an opportunity to practice standing.
Maybe the Tower of Babel is the gateway to understanding. Who would have guessed that? I know what you are thinking....what did I mean by gateway.....
Have you ever noticed that we often all use the same words but we mean entirely different things by them? This is the case in the world in general. But I have noticed it particularly within the community of the church, big picture meaning all Christianity, as opposed to my own in particular. For example, I have noticed the word 'call' gets thrown about in deeply spiritual discussions and we all think we know what we mean, but I don't think we do. And when we talked about salvation and grace, the same sort of head nodding goes on, but on deeper inspection I think we are talking apples and oranges. I think it's probably all fruit but not quite the same thing. I attended a conference over the weekend that was a fingernails on the chalkboard reminder that we all use the same terminology but we have different destinations in mind. I find myself angry and frustrated as it is very difficult to communicate with people who are using the same words but speaking in another language. I once met a military wife from England. She was in the English Navy and married an officer in the US Navy and moved from England to Pascagoula, Mississippi. I asked her how she had adjusted to the change in culture. She said it had been hard but the worst part was the language. We all spoke English but she didn't understand what we were saying. She said it would have been much easier if we had spoken spanish or japanese or german, then she would have been better prepared. I know what she meant. Turns out the church can be just as much a culture shock.
Is this another example of the Tower of Babel? What purpose could all this point/counter point christian double speak serve? How can we further the Kingdom by making disciples for Christ when we don't even all agree on what that means? How is it that we end up functioning as a Body when despite what Paul has said about the foot not being able to tell the hand it's not needed, we seem to do that all the time. And as a sidebar thought, who exactly are the unpresentable parts we treat with special modesty? I guess more to the point is this: what is God's point? I have no difficulty believing that the God of all creation, of all time and all knowledge has the ability to straighten out the mess and smack some sense into his stupid sheep if he wishes to do so. So, why doesn't he?
I have given this some serious thought over the last 48 hours. While I am by no means representing myself as an authority or even a potential voice for God, I have a couple of thoughts. One is based in good counseling practice, the opportunity to help people come to their own positive solutions for addressing a need. It is never effective to fix people, they break again. However enabling them to discover ways to fix themselves seems to be fairly effective. Could that be part of God's heart? Could it also be that God allows us these conflicts to define and articulate for ourselves our own beliefs? Could it be conflict itself is a tool for communication, for teachable moments when seeds can be planted, watered, fed and eventually harvested?
I don't care for conflict. I care even less for resolving conflict. I will confess that I would infinitely prefer to quit, take my marbles and go home, shake the dust off of my feet, than engage in the resolution process. I wish that you would either agree with me, or quit talking to me. Surely that isn't asking too much. My heavenly father however seems to feel that my wholeness and the redemption being worked out in my life thrives best in the resolution process. I believe this is the message in Ephesians 6 about the armor of God, when Paul writes to put on the armor of God so when the day of evil comes we will be able to stand our ground and even after we have done everything else, still remain standing. I know you may mean something entirely different about the day of evil, but let me tell you conflict is a day of evil for me! I greatly fear falling. I think it's my first response to conflict and I often react out of that fear in anger. Maybe all this confrontation is an opportunity to practice standing.
Maybe the Tower of Babel is the gateway to understanding. Who would have guessed that? I know what you are thinking....what did I mean by gateway.....
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