Today’s Readings: Psalm 149; Exodus 12:1-14; Matthew 18:15-20; Romans 13:8-14
There are some ideas within Christianity that can be very dangerous if they aren’t carefully defined. Take a notion like unconditional love. Some people can equate unconditional love with the notion that a person of faith is suppose to accept any and all behaviors. If you interpret it as such, the notion could cause a person in an abusive relationship to stay until they are physically or psychologially beaten to death. I certainly don’t think that’s what the notion of unconditional love is all about. Same thing goes with the notion of forgiveness. Some people might think that the call to forgiveness would mean that if you lived with an addict who stole money from you to get drugs that – once the addict owned up to their behavior and apologized – you should totally forget the theft. Such an approach would better fit the definition of enabling rather than forgiveness. So as you can see, one should be careful how they toss around concepts in relation to one’s faith. Today’s reading from Romans exposes an important misconception many people have regarding how one should feel about oneself. Some have come to conclude over the years that since we human beings are capable of horrendous things (i.e. sin) that we should not love ourselves. “To do so,” some would argue, “would be sinful!” I don’t think that’s always the case. For in speaking of the law, Paul summed up our faith by saying, “The law code… finally adds up to this: love other people as well as you do yourself” (Emphasis added - Romans 13:9 from The Message). Paul wasn’t going off on a tangent here. He was using the same words that Jesus used in Matthew 22:38. So how does this notion of self-love tie into Jesus and Paul’s message – how can self-love be a good thing? My understanding of how this concept comes from the years I spent working as a community educator/outreach worker in the HIV/AIDS field. In the time I spent working in the field, I learned that you can give people all the information in the world regarding which behaviors are healthy and which behaviors are not; but until the individual thinks of her/himself as a loveable and worthwhile human being, they will never change their unsafe behaviors. It was only when they came to see themselves as valuable beings, that they could begin to take care of themselves (and others). This is the wisdom that Jesus & Paul were getting at. So where are you on this attitudinal continuum? Do you see yourself as a loved and cherished child of God who is ready to go out and help others see themselves that same way; or do you see yourself as a worthless and inept creature – unworthy of love and incapable of extending love? If you are struggling with self-esteem issues try stepping outside yourself and getting a glimpse of the way others – including God – see you. Once you get such a glimpse of yourself you might be surprised how this new way of seeing yourself impacts the quality of your relationship with others as well. Til next time…
There are some ideas within Christianity that can be very dangerous if they aren’t carefully defined. Take a notion like unconditional love. Some people can equate unconditional love with the notion that a person of faith is suppose to accept any and all behaviors. If you interpret it as such, the notion could cause a person in an abusive relationship to stay until they are physically or psychologially beaten to death. I certainly don’t think that’s what the notion of unconditional love is all about. Same thing goes with the notion of forgiveness. Some people might think that the call to forgiveness would mean that if you lived with an addict who stole money from you to get drugs that – once the addict owned up to their behavior and apologized – you should totally forget the theft. Such an approach would better fit the definition of enabling rather than forgiveness. So as you can see, one should be careful how they toss around concepts in relation to one’s faith. Today’s reading from Romans exposes an important misconception many people have regarding how one should feel about oneself. Some have come to conclude over the years that since we human beings are capable of horrendous things (i.e. sin) that we should not love ourselves. “To do so,” some would argue, “would be sinful!” I don’t think that’s always the case. For in speaking of the law, Paul summed up our faith by saying, “The law code… finally adds up to this: love other people as well as you do yourself” (Emphasis added - Romans 13:9 from The Message). Paul wasn’t going off on a tangent here. He was using the same words that Jesus used in Matthew 22:38. So how does this notion of self-love tie into Jesus and Paul’s message – how can self-love be a good thing? My understanding of how this concept comes from the years I spent working as a community educator/outreach worker in the HIV/AIDS field. In the time I spent working in the field, I learned that you can give people all the information in the world regarding which behaviors are healthy and which behaviors are not; but until the individual thinks of her/himself as a loveable and worthwhile human being, they will never change their unsafe behaviors. It was only when they came to see themselves as valuable beings, that they could begin to take care of themselves (and others). This is the wisdom that Jesus & Paul were getting at. So where are you on this attitudinal continuum? Do you see yourself as a loved and cherished child of God who is ready to go out and help others see themselves that same way; or do you see yourself as a worthless and inept creature – unworthy of love and incapable of extending love? If you are struggling with self-esteem issues try stepping outside yourself and getting a glimpse of the way others – including God – see you. Once you get such a glimpse of yourself you might be surprised how this new way of seeing yourself impacts the quality of your relationship with others as well. Til next time…
No comments:
Post a Comment