I'm going to try to pull together a couple ideas here. First, it would likely be helpful if you read John 6. This chapter shows how Jesus broke up a large portion of his following by saying things that he knew would be offensive to them (I wish I could say I thought of this on my own, but I didn't. Check out the messages Deconstruction and Reconstruction from Mars Hill Bible Church about 2 years ago). It is reminiscent of the story of Gideon and his men taking on the Midianites(Judges 6 and 7).
Another story of note comes from the Chronicles of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. One of the characters is turned into a dragon, and in order to return to his human state, a lion must shred all of the skin, scales and natural dragon protection off of him. He must then bathe in a nearby water source.
There is one common theme among these three stories: after the stripping, something emerges. And what emerges is a core, a nucleus, a true locus.
I realize I have in no way expounded on this in any kind of exhaustive sense, but there's some research and thought that can go into this. What needs to be stripped away? What is essential? How do we protect ourselves from true abandon and thus push away a God in whom we say we believe?
Also relevant to this discussion is the need to be a force for good when people are going through things like this. May we not try to fit people into our understanding of God, but instead lift up and rely on Him to supply for their needs, not ourselves. In other words, speak words of life, not those of death and condemnation.
2 comments:
I think you're talking about Eustace. That's one of the best parables for sanctification I've every encountered. It's so deep and present you about cry thinking, "Yes Lord, me too, and it goes SOOO DEEP. But CUT IT OUT OF ME. Thy will be done."
Sam,
I like what you said about not forcing people into our own understandings, but instead seeking to allow God to shape them. This is where it becomes difficult. So often we want to put our own experience on others.
I wonder how you would bring love into this conversation...
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