Could it be that perhaps we've become so tired of people telling us what to do and believe and how to act... that we've forgotten a large part of our faith?
As a follower of Christ (a Christian), I was reminded by an acquaintance the other day of some simple truths. Truths from Scripture, and life in general. There was nothing earth-shattering or profound, but it has really made me stop and think. It was also quite encouraging!
REMEMBER
Christianity has been built upon stories, and the telling and re-telling of those stories. From the beginning we've been reminded of the need to... Remember how you were delivered from slavery; remember who sustained you; remember who you are and who you belong to; remember your first love; and on and on and on.
I don't know that it was necessarily the fault of evangelicals, but at least in my circles, one day it seemed all the "remembering" (or reminding) somehow developed into trying to tell people what to believe and do. A strand of the faith ran about thinking themselves the moral police and believing they had the answers that everyone else needed - whether they were looking for them or not!
REBOUND
I count myself complicit, and even still, I grew tired of it as well. Few, if any, want to be told what to do, how to live, what they're doing wrong, or given answers to questions they're not asking. And, I suppose it's a natural response at some point to then become resistant to the notion of answers entirely. The temptation, or tendency, can be a lean toward the complete opposite spectrum where NO ONE has answers. We might even start to believe we don't even know anything ourselves!
This is where I think I've been lately. While I still considered myself to be a person of faith, I had quite honestly lost perspective on what my faith meant. I had certainly forgotten to rely on my faith - reminding myself of the truths of Scripture and who I am, and whose I am.
So, a simple reminder that I am not defined by my past, or my mistakes, or what others may think of me, was quite refreshing. In fact, it almost feels restorative. Being reminded of these truths seems to have rekindled something inside me. It almost too easy, and maybe that's the beauty of it all.
REDIRECT
This sparked a memory from my coaching training. A big part of how I was trained as a Christian Leadership Coach was that the client is the one with the answers (rather than the person doing the coaching). That doesn't mean the coach has no answers, but that we use what we know to try to help the client discover what they already know. Sometimes it's tempting to think we then only have to ask questions. However, a vital element in personal coaching is the occasional use of DIRECT MESSAGES. Direct messages are brief nuggets of truth intended to offer direction. I was taught a direct message should be no more than seven words, and should be offered sparingly. So, something like a reminder.
To close this out, it's interesting that my mind wandered to good old Neil T. Anderson - the Freedom in Christ/Victory Over Darkness/Bondage Breaker guy - and his "Who I Am In Christ" list. I remember the first time I saw this and was "reminded" of these truths, I found it to be quite powerful. You can click the link for a more in-depth description of each, but here are the basics:
- I AM ACCEPTED...
- I AM SECURE...
- I AM SIGNIFICANT...
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