Monday, February 11, 2008

Being, Becoming, and Heavy Stuff I'm Trying to Figure Out

One of the truths of spiritual formation is this: We all have a desire to be as well as to become. Keith Anderson in a lecture on the topic shared that we want self definition and self transcendence. And we move from this place of being to the place of becoming. We have a longing to be transformed. This is why the motif of pilgrimage or journey is seen throughout the Bible and in books that attempt to embody our faith. We have a deep longing to define our identity and to determine our destiny. As Christians it is important to own our identity as the beloved of God. We have to embrace the fact that we are the children of God. We have to take hold of the fact that we are followers of Christ. This is the essential step that must proceeds action. We can't determine how to act, how to proceed toward becoming until we truly embrace our being. If we don't, we end up doing seemingly good things and sometimes end up with wrong results; because the action did not proceed from the right place of being. But once we own the being God determined for us; that identity becomes the launching pad for action. And conversely the more we act from that God determined place the act itself solidifies our identity as the beloved follower of Christ. The being determines the action and the action further defines the being.

2 comments:

Amy said...

Three cheers (go Tiffany!) for being able to post a comment. I look forward to many more blogs and words of wisdom.

Tiffany said...

It is amazing how many seemingly good things can be done out of our own selfish ambition. It all comes back to our motivation- Christ.

I am glad the comments work now! Now, you just have to keep it coming! :)