Psalm 27: 11-14
11 LORD , teach me your way;
because of my opponents, lead me on a good path.
12 Don’t give me over to the desires of my enemies,
because false witnesses and violent accusers
have taken their stand against me.
13 But I have sure faith
that I will experience the LORD ’s goodness
in the land of the living!
14 Hope in the LORD !
Be strong! Let your heart take courage!
Hope in the LORD !
My journey has been one of asking the God to teach me the way. Half the battle of faith is recognizing what is our way and what is God's way. Knowing the difference is difficult and a never ending process. As I continue to decipher my calling, I am noticing that my path comes with a fair amount of adversaries. Talking to people about faith is a risky business. If you imply that you believe somethings differently than someone in the room, there is a lot at stake. People do not like being told their beliefs are misguided or even wrong. When people cling to their faith as a survival skill, which many people do, there is more wrapped up in their faith than their theology.
Nothing in church work is worth doing if it doesn't cause a few enemies. I have found myself searching for the 'right' way to piss people off. I truly believe that to speak to the truth is to make people upset. The key lays in the balance of not pissing people off for the fun of it and being afraid to piss people off. I do believe that I will experience God's goodness in the land of living! I have experienced it and I continue to do so. The focus on this is in the land of living. My true prayer for this would be for the Church to be a land of living. A place where people are courageous, stand sure in their faith and are led in straight paths. I pray this prayer for the Church, to piss people off, to ask for God's guidance despite the nay sayers. I'm pretty sure there is a Proverb somewhere that says, "The oppositional will always be with you." I may have mixed that up... but you get my point.
1 comment:
You always crack me up. God whoever, or whatever God is, is always with us. Sometimes our path is not the straight path, but like Moses in the desert, and Odysseus on the :Wine Dark Sea", we are going where we are meant to go. All that wander are not lost. What we do with the journey is up to us. And Katie, Albert Einstein said that by pissing people off, you know you are doing the job. Big hug your way.
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