I am not sure what I think about the beauty of God. I have many questions. I am growing, however, in my experience of the beauty of God—at least I think that I am. The Evangelical influence upon my Christian growth didn’t seem to leave room for much beauty. I was taught (or at least perceived that I was being taught) to focus upon missional products and results—experiencing the beauty of God was something that happened on an occasional camping trip or within some mystical spirituality. My whole life was oriented around these products and results. I grew in my character so that others would see and believe in Jesus. I read the bible so that I could be impacted in such a way that would, in turn, impact the world—at least my part of it. My life was full of these 'so thats'. Every thing that I did was so that something better (or more fulfilling, more desirable) would result. I recently was driving in my car and came across a Christian radio station that was introducing their next segment. I heard, “If you are interested in changing your world for Christ then you need to hear this message….” I turned it off.
I am a part of a group of believers who are all young couples. Four years ago the group started as a sort of self-help group for the newly married. While individuals vary drastically within the group, we have collectively (and intentionally) turned our focus momentarily away from the missional goals of life and refocused on the process of life. In fact, having babies, being depressed, switching jobs, moving from one place to another, being happy, reading the paper, paying the bills, hurting one another and being reconciled to one another has become our place in which to experience the beauty of God—the processes of these ordinary things have become the goal of our lives. I am not sure in what ways we experience the beauty of God and I am not sure that we know what we are doing, but we are learning. We sense that somehow God’s beauty and our spirituality are one in the same with the often mundane and ordinary processes of life.
I have come full circle in some ways. I even see God’s beauty (sometimes) in our fuddled attempts at theological frameworks and missional objectives. And yet, I am still learning how to know my self (and my self in relation to God and others) apart from finding such a disproportionate amount of fulfillment in the ends of ‘5-step’ solutions and missional ideologies.
2 comments:
Nice work. Glad to see your learning your html. I miss you.
When God blesses you with your first child, then you will see the beauty of God in full breath.
I see the beauty of God in so many ways, a smile, a loving touch by and understanding christain brother, a puppy's kiss, the voice of one of my beautiful daughters, an old couple walking hand in hand, a sunrise, a sunset, rain, etc,etc.
When Jesus left his physical body and sat at the right hand of God, he sent the holy spirit, The Holy Spirit shows us God's love even in sadness & death. An example death is beautiful to someone who has lived their life for Christ. It is a homecoming and our saddest times are very short compared to our happiness in eternity.
Love,
Dad, your southern connection
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