At some point in our education, we heard the wisdom
from the Ancient Greeks, “Know thyself.”
Did you know that is the first of three maxims that are inscribed
outside the Temple of Apollo? The other
two, because I know you are curious, were: “nothing in excess” and “surety
brings ruin”. Suddenly you might realize
why the other two maxims never quite caught on in our current climate. But we are fascinated by trying to know
ourselves. Exhibit A of evidence for
this is the “Self-help” section of any library has pages upon pages of words
devoted to this topic. Exhibit B are podcasts
produced every day for you to living your best life every where you
thrive. Exhibit C is just Google “how to
know yourself” and in less than a second there are almost two billion possible
responses and results for you to view.
So, you know, feel free to look over those at lunch!
The quest to know ourselves is endless and
eternal. Actually starts at a young
age. I remember moments when one of my
children colored on the wall or didn’t study for a test or did something I wish
they had not done. When frustration
fumed off me I would ask, “Why did you do that?” Of course, the reply was often, “I don’t
know.” Looking back, I now see how that
is so true for me. Why did I say that
last night at the meeting? Why did I
procrastinate when my gut was saying, “Go head take the risk.”? Why do I do what I do.
It wasn’t just philosophy that finds this mystery of
why we do what we do fascinating. The
Apostle Paul says in Romans, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not
do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
We are a mystery.
Or as Kristen Bell once said, “We are our own best science
experiments.” To explore our lives with
an endless curiosity is an invitation. But
we need to be careful because often when we begin to ask why we are doing what
we are doing, we have to get out the umbrella because it is raining guilt. This is perhaps because of those childhood
memories of being disciplined when we disappointed our parent. But grace and good news of Easter says, we
can ask questions of why trusting in God’s original blessing and God who calls
each of us, “Beloved.”
Keep turning the question, what is it like to be you,
in your mind, heart, and soul. Keep
prayerfully pondering how the past, present, and future are meeting in
you. And continue to find ways to explore
your life gently and gracefully. Stay
open to the faithful, fascinating ways you embody and live in these days.
Prayer: God, continue to open me to the
ways You are at work within me and beyond me and beside me this day. Amen.
Hi. My name is Bobby. I will be talking with you around 04:15 this afternoon, and I appreciate this blog entry for today. What stuck out to me most was not looking at myself through the lease of guilt. For much of my life I never felt like I was good enough and I did not measure up to people’s expectations. I had a friend who once sent me a text message saying, “Stop serving junk food and soda as your god and quit cold turkey” with the implication of “or else you’re going to hell”. I do not hang out with this guy any more. It took me a few years to see what he was really doing to me. I have often felt like God looks at me through the lease of guilt. That’s what I was taught throughout my life. I’ve wanted a God who truly loves me even when I make mistakes, even when I eat too much of the wrong things, even when it seems like I’ve disappointed everyone else around me. That’s the biggest thing I want. If someone told me I could have a relationship with God today with no strings attached I’d take it today; now. I’ve walked aisles, prayed prayers, been baptized, and a short time later I’ve felt like I was not the person God wants me to be.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s cool to be able to look at ourselves in a more positive light. I wonder if people knew God looked at them in a more positive light would they want to have a relationship with Him? Okay thank you so much. Blessings be with you today.
Bobby