GROWING PAINS, GROWING GAINS

One of the great joys of this new calendar year has been the Sunday afternoon discussions I have been privileged to be a part of through our Disciple  Bible Study. The 15-16 of us who have made the long-term (34 week) commitment to this time together have, over the first 7 weeks of this course, have formed a good bond that grows deeper and deeper as we journey through the bible from beginning to end.

What I am blessed by the most through our readings and conversations is how much we grow when we are pushed and challenged to move beyond our current understandings of God's calling on our lives. Through our daily readings and reflections, interaction with the writers of the curriculum & the video presenters, and the (mild understatement) lively discussions, it is a joy to see how God is working in each person in the conversation. In this week's discussion about how worship is the center of the life of the faithful, we were forced to confront our own attitudes about worship, asking if we are truly committed to being people of worship who submit to the will of God. While at times a painful conversation as we had to honestly look within ourselves, it was particularly moving to see that by God's grace we had been brought together, and through those that accepted God's call to be a part of this long-term conversation we have, as a group and as individuals, grown in our journey of faith.

Being confronted with uncomfortable truth is not fun. Honestly, it is something that most of us would like to run from, for who wants to be asked to examine their commitment levels to God in ALL facets of life?

However, it is precisely when we embrace fully our role within the body of Christ, fully immersing ourselves in the community of faith, allowing ourselves to be confronted - through all aspects of the life of the church - with truths about where we are and where we should be with respect to our walk with Christ, that we will experience the most growth.

Growth is not easy. Many times, in fact, it hurts. However, growth, by its very definition, means we are further now than we were before.

Isn't it great to be part of a group, the church, put together by God specifically to walk this journey together, so that when we experience the pains of growth, we do it not alone, but surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses?

Grace and Peace, Lamar