Called to Christianity
Yet another repost. This one derives from March 22, 2005.
I think we, as humans, have difficulty understanding what Christianity
really is. We spend significant amounts of time trying to interpret and
define that Christianity, whether we acknowledge we are doing that or
not. So many Christians are convinced that Christianity is clear-cut,
black and white. And maybe in some ways it is, but probably not in the
ways most of us think that it is.
Let me argue for a moment. If
I describe an object as "blue", what "blue" do you picture? Is it
necessarily the same blue that I saw? What if I saw sapphire blue, and
you perceive it as teal? Have I accurately conveyed to you the exact
shade of blue? Even if I were more explicit, without spectral analysis
values, accurately describing the shade of blue is next to impossible.
And
yet, many people argue that the language of the Bible is literal, even
while recognizing that it is translated from a language that has four
different words for our single word "love". People believe that the
Bible is to be taken literally in its full completeness, except where
it would challenge how they live their lives. For example, if you
accept that the Bible must be taken literally, you cannot interpret
away the myriad of laws laid out in the Old Testament.
Can you
really take the Bible literally in its entirety? Can you really abide
by everything the Bible states? And is that necessarily the point of
the Bible in the first place?
I think the clarity that I have
personally found is contained within two statements Jesus made. First,
love God above all things. Second, love your neighbor as yourself.
The
first statement is pretty clear, though difficult to follow perhaps. It
is not easy to always put God first, and to love him above all things.
One of the hardest things for us to do is "let go, and let God," yet we
are called by God to do so. We may be slow to acknowledge it, but God
is ever present, guiding us, molding us into the people he wants us to
be, if we would just let him.
The second statement is also hard
to follow, and perhaps not as clear when we look beneath the surface.
Loving your neighbor does not mean always saying "yes." Sometimes,
loving your neighbor can fall into the "tough love" category, where you
provide support, but advise a different direction. I have certainly
experienced some "no" experiences in my life, both where God told me
"no," as well as where friends and family have as well. That does not
mean they did not love me -- in fact, it derives from their love.
Part
of what got me thinking about this topic is Terry Schiavo. Terry
Schiavo, as we are probably all aware, is the topic of heated political
debate and judicial battles. While Christians are arguing about her
right to life, they are not asking what kind of life it is. Terry is
vegetable with no hope of recovery, whatsoever. The news media is an
unwitting (or perhaps willing) accomplice in keeping Terry alive
against her verbally expressed wishes. Even if she were to continue
living, what kind of life is it? Do you really think that she is there,
locked up inside, able to enjoy a bedridden life, surviving only by the
aid of a feeding tube? Do you honestly think that it is a loving
gesture to keep her alive in this state?
Mind you, I use Terry
Schiavo as an example. I could as easily use as an example the stranded
motorist on the side of the road that you ignore as you drive past at
70mph. Or the homeless person asking for 50 cents for a meal. Or the
neighbor that needs help shoveling the snow from their drive after a
snowstorm. Whatever the example, do you really love your neighbor as
yourself?
Someone proposed to me the "Platinum Rule" instead of
the "Golden Rule." Instead of treating others as we would want to be
treated, perhaps we should treat them as they would want to be treated.
I mean, do you really think your spouse wants to watch all of the same
TV shows as you? I know I drive my wife crazy with some of the shows I
watch on TV. Try to apply the Platinum Rule in your dealings with
others, and perhaps the world will be a little better place in the
future.
I think we, as humans, have difficulty understanding what Christianity
really is. We spend significant amounts of time trying to interpret and
define that Christianity, whether we acknowledge we are doing that or
not. So many Christians are convinced that Christianity is clear-cut,
black and white. And maybe in some ways it is, but probably not in the
ways most of us think that it is.
Let me argue for a moment. If
I describe an object as "blue", what "blue" do you picture? Is it
necessarily the same blue that I saw? What if I saw sapphire blue, and
you perceive it as teal? Have I accurately conveyed to you the exact
shade of blue? Even if I were more explicit, without spectral analysis
values, accurately describing the shade of blue is next to impossible.
And
yet, many people argue that the language of the Bible is literal, even
while recognizing that it is translated from a language that has four
different words for our single word "love". People believe that the
Bible is to be taken literally in its full completeness, except where
it would challenge how they live their lives. For example, if you
accept that the Bible must be taken literally, you cannot interpret
away the myriad of laws laid out in the Old Testament.
Can you
really take the Bible literally in its entirety? Can you really abide
by everything the Bible states? And is that necessarily the point of
the Bible in the first place?
I think the clarity that I have
personally found is contained within two statements Jesus made. First,
love God above all things. Second, love your neighbor as yourself.
The
first statement is pretty clear, though difficult to follow perhaps. It
is not easy to always put God first, and to love him above all things.
One of the hardest things for us to do is "let go, and let God," yet we
are called by God to do so. We may be slow to acknowledge it, but God
is ever present, guiding us, molding us into the people he wants us to
be, if we would just let him.
The second statement is also hard
to follow, and perhaps not as clear when we look beneath the surface.
Loving your neighbor does not mean always saying "yes." Sometimes,
loving your neighbor can fall into the "tough love" category, where you
provide support, but advise a different direction. I have certainly
experienced some "no" experiences in my life, both where God told me
"no," as well as where friends and family have as well. That does not
mean they did not love me -- in fact, it derives from their love.
Part
of what got me thinking about this topic is Terry Schiavo. Terry
Schiavo, as we are probably all aware, is the topic of heated political
debate and judicial battles. While Christians are arguing about her
right to life, they are not asking what kind of life it is. Terry is
vegetable with no hope of recovery, whatsoever. The news media is an
unwitting (or perhaps willing) accomplice in keeping Terry alive
against her verbally expressed wishes. Even if she were to continue
living, what kind of life is it? Do you really think that she is there,
locked up inside, able to enjoy a bedridden life, surviving only by the
aid of a feeding tube? Do you honestly think that it is a loving
gesture to keep her alive in this state?
Mind you, I use Terry
Schiavo as an example. I could as easily use as an example the stranded
motorist on the side of the road that you ignore as you drive past at
70mph. Or the homeless person asking for 50 cents for a meal. Or the
neighbor that needs help shoveling the snow from their drive after a
snowstorm. Whatever the example, do you really love your neighbor as
yourself?
Someone proposed to me the "Platinum Rule" instead of
the "Golden Rule." Instead of treating others as we would want to be
treated, perhaps we should treat them as they would want to be treated.
I mean, do you really think your spouse wants to watch all of the same
TV shows as you? I know I drive my wife crazy with some of the shows I
watch on TV. Try to apply the Platinum Rule in your dealings with
others, and perhaps the world will be a little better place in the
future.
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posted by Strycher @ 12:24
1 Comments:
If you are curious of the source or want to know more: The Platinum Rule as described by Tony Alessandra (who is credited with taking this concept and elaborating on it. "Treat others the way they want to be treated." Sounds simple and obvious once you think about it. . . but not so easy to put into practice. How often do we stop and think “What would our spouse like?” or “What does my boss really want?”
In addition,The Platinum Rule is not just a concept but has a whole model behind it to help others figure out where others are coming from and help someone put himself or herself in someone else’s shoes. There is even an assessment to better understand your own style and that of others. To find out more, you might be interested in reading this article by Tony Alessandra on my web site: http://www.assessmentsnow.com/articleplatinumrule.asp
My associates I use The Platinum Rule assessment with individual coaching clients but where we really see the power of the tool is when working with teams. We also use in with families and some with their churches.
Disclosure: Besides having my own blog about assessments and personality tests, I also sell The Platinum Rule online. If readers are interested, they can purchase this create tool to use at 40% off – just contact me for the special code. http://www.assessmentstoday.com/
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