Wisdom List Post Number 2

General Entry Three:
If the world sees only the rules of Christianity and rejects it because of that; it’s not the world's fault. The world sees what the Church shows it. Focus on the life of freedom that comes from living within the boundaries. At work, Study of Yancy's Jesus I never knew, Tuesday, March 30, 2004.


My reaction and why I think this is wisdom

This quote comes from Yancey’s Jesus I Never Knew. The point for me is that the Church, not to mention everybody, is in charge of their own reputation. It is interesting that we are being watched. We are being watched to see if the life we espouse is the life we live. If our rules are inconsistent with the basic principles of our professed life then we can and probably will be rejected.

A former employer said that life is not a test. What we do matters and it matters to those who want to know if we are worth following. Do we live up to their desires?

The history of the church is filled with stories of where cannons, laws and rules become more important than the people we are to serve. I know of a woman coming to a priest to confess an abortion. The priest asked her to leave the church and did not forgive her. I don’t see this as the love that Jesus intended. And I can see how this type of action can leave a person angry and hostile to the Church.

Of course, I spent my time being a legal eagle. I get lost in the proper way things should be done. This at best curtails creativity and at worst breaks relationships. It certainly does not show the love that I have vowed to live by. If I am rejected by my own rules, it is not the person doing the rejecting’s fault – it is my own.



General Entry Four:
They see what they see and I see what I see. When we share it; we have a bigger sight. If we all see the same we only have one sight. At home, Good Friday, April 9, 2004.

My reaction and why I think this is wisdom

Relationships are everything. When we are in relationships and are able to see and understand what the other person sees – we actually see more. If we are in locked step with each other, then we can be short sighted.

I think this idea of being in locked-step is the essence of GroupThink. This occurs when a group only sees a topic the same way. This is again a deterrent to creativity. There are no new ideas and the group can get locked into an action that the group might reject in the future.