Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Lori Fast's avatar

I think it’s a thing that goes both ways - I grew up with a lot of emphasis on right behavior, being kind and patient and so forth. So I learned how to look kind, how to give the appearance of kindness, but it was all performance because my heart wasn’t kind. I wasn’t seeing true kindness from the heart being modeled. So it’s only as I’ve prayed and experienced the kindness of God, both through His own direct presence in my heart and through seeing other people around me being kind that I’ve begun to have a heart change toward kindness myself. Same thing with patience, gentleness, etc. - it’s only as my heart has changed by seeking God that I’ve begun to see those behaviors in my own life that aren’t just my will making me look like those things are happening.

Expand full comment
Jake Blair's avatar

Sort of reminds me of a quote from Evan Almighty (disclaimer: I don't typically get my theology from bad movies). "Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient?"

There's also the idea that the bible was written to a primarily strong group culture. Everything you did revolved not around the self but around your people. From my understanding it seems like the people God has placed around you (i.e. "thy neighbor") is one of the primary means by which God shapes us into Himself. As one of the weakest group cultures in the history, this side of formation is often lost on us in the West. Or in some respects, community is more a commodity to help me become like Jesus. The emphasis is still on the self and not on the group. Formation can become a form of self-actualization (me) rather than a community formation project (us).

btw, big fan of this series!

Expand full comment
9 more comments...

No posts