I have this speaking problem. I always want to be right, and if I am not sure about something I will not say it. I don't seem to say much anymore.
The thing is, I am never going to be right. In FYE class we established that pretty much everything is arguable, and I am never going to be in a position where any of my beliefs are purely correct. If they are not purely correct, they are wrong, and I need to be okay with that.
I believe my beliefs are skewed. Sin skews things. The devil can not create something new, he can only skew what God already created.
Everything that exists is God, so if it isn't God, it doesn't exist. Some of the things I worship are not God. Some of them don't exist.
I think from now on I am just going to say whats on my mind, and whenever I am wrong someone will tell me. And I will become better.
I need some limit though. I would not discuss sex or starvation or quantum physics with a 3 year old. Prudence is considering the strength and maturity of the audience.
A dead man is not able to say anything, his attempts are just empty words with no more influence than, well, nothing. but I am not dead so my speech has influence.I should probably learn more.
just be careful, bek. No matter what they say, some of your beliefs must be purely correct and are purely correct.
ReplyDeleteAt our church, we've been reading through a book on postmodern thinking. Postmodern thinking says that all truth is negotiable and no one will have the truth or the correct beliefs. Just remember that this is WRONG! You believe Jesus lived and was fully God and man and this is a purely correct belief.
But, i know you know all of this...:-p. Much luv and prayers,
celeste
I highly encourage to speak your mind, even if the things you think may be wrong. The point in having a community around you is to have people that will encourage you and support you, especially when there are issues with your heart and your relationship with God and things like that. However, your supreme factor in encouragement and "correctiveness" comes from God and the Bible and prayer. God is our ultimate strength and without that we're helpless.
ReplyDeletei wholeheartedly disagree, Celeste. that oversimplified idea of postmodern thought is self defeating-- an absolute statement that says there are no absolutes? give the thinkers, writers, architects, philosophers, theologians, and artists who purvey postmodern thought more credit than that. it certainly questions truth, and Truth, and questions how anyone can know something absolutely. but how on earth do you claim that this is wrong?
ReplyDeleteit's like Dwight on the Office asking "question! what kind of bear is best?" to which Jim replies "that's a ridiculous question." and Dwight responds, "false. black bear."
I think of a true thing as something pure, and I don't think I will ever be completely pure in anything I do. My beliefs will never be completely pure, so they will never be completely true. Plus I think there is more to a belief or idea than just the words that express it.
ReplyDeleteI like this discussion! Bekah, you are right that nothing you do will be pure, but the hope we have in Christ is that what is impure has been been made pure. And while there is more to belief than the words, our beliefs are rooted in our very words we use to describe those beliefs. Try as we might, we cannot seperate ourselves from the language we use. somehow, we need to believe that our language can accurately describe the divine. We know this is true because He uses our language to communicate with us.
ReplyDeleteWe must, as Christians, never lose hope that while we can't know EVERYTHING, we can know SOME THINGS. I do know that my name is Kevin and there is nothing wrong with being certain of that. I do know that my wife is a wonderful person and there is nothing wrong with being certain of that. We can be clear that God redeems what is lost and beyond hope...even your thoughts and beliefs.
You are struggling in the right things. My prayer is that your doubts will create space for you to see your need for Jesus.
I do not think our beliefs are rooted in our words, but in our actions. I see words and the way in which a person presents them as consequences of beliefs and actions. And just because God used words to communicate (I think it is his language because I personally consider english to be my language) doesn't mean it accurately describes Him. The words in the bible don't prompt me to action, they don't prompt me to believe. God moves in me and in the world around me, and that is where the words come from. The words come from actions, not the other way around.
ReplyDeleteIf it is pure, it is not mine. The holy spirit is within me, and everything she communicates to me is pure, but how I perceive what she says and how I act on them are not pure. I am tainted through and through. I don't care what I 'know'. My life isn't about finding a tangible truth, my life is about trying to look always at Jesus. And yes, you might say that this requires a pure belief that Jesus is God and that He will never be wrong, but I don't always have a pure belief in that. Sometimes my actions show otherwise. Sometimes in my mind I doubt or disregard, but I still strive to look always at Him. I'm gonna have skewed beliefs, but that's okay because my life isn't solely mine. I am in a relationship with someone who outweighs my unpure beliefs.
Btw, nobody was telling me any of these things. These are just my thoughts. No one is trying to indoctrinate me with skepticism, I guess it just comes naturally.
ReplyDelete