Proclamar y enseñar. Evangelizar y discipular. Ganar y capacitar. Las dos actividades primordiales de la iglesia están esposadas. No es posible hacer lo uno sin pensar en lo otro. Sin almas ganadas, no hay nadie para enseñar. Sin la capacitación, no es posible sostener el evangelismo y la expansión de la iglesia.
Every
family has stuff. And by that I don’t mean the stuff
we’ve all piled up in our basements, garages, spare rooms, attics, and
storage
sheds. Not the stuff we’ve accumulated, stashed, or just couldn’t bring
ourselves to throw away along the way (perhaps someday I’ll tackle that
topic
in a later blog), but the stuff that has affected and shaped us, for
good or
bad, into who we are.
Every family has stuff. Family stuff. The
stuff we’ve all
accumulated along the way with shared experiences, memories, and
relationships
that have produced lessons learned, patterns established, habits
ingrained, and
themes forged into our lives that often go undetected until many years
later
when the “unpacking” or “processing” of our stuff commences.
We often try to hide our stuff because it
can be a
devastating source of shame, regret, sorrow, or pain if exposed. It’s
things
like moral failures, foolish choices, family squabbles, financial ruin,
or a
pattern of failed relationships that we’d simply like to ignore, hoping
no one
will give it a second glance. After all, nobody likes the interrogating
glare
of the spotlight when the sight, sound, or smell of something unhealthy
is
unearthed. There’s also the stuff we’re unaware of but that’s glaringly
apparent to just about everyone within a 10-mile radius.
FAMILY
STUFF
While our tendency is
to hide our negative stuff, God has
other plans. In the infinite wisdom and providence of God, He
has been
using all our “family stuff” to shape, mold, and bring about
transformation in
us. That’s the reassurance of Paul’s words in Romans 8:28-29. “We know
that
in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have
been
called according to his purpose . . . to be conformed to the likeness
of his
Son.” Paul had stuff too. But he knew all the stuff in his life
was being
used by God to somehow bring about His greater purposes in and through
Paul.
Having this perspective allows us to see and
appreciate the
good stuff too. Not all the patterns, habits, and themes in our family
are
negative. There are also a lot of positives, like a solid work ethic,
an
ability to laugh at adversity, an inherited creative talent, a
commitment to
integrity and honor that may have marked your family for generations.
To throw
out all the stuff means we’ll miss out on celebrating with gratefulness
the
good stuff that is masterfully woven into the fabric of our stories.
So let’s make a commitment
together: No more
pretending. We all have stuff. I do. You do. It’s time to be honest
about
our stuff—both the good and the bad. Some of that won’t be easy. But
when we turn our stuff, all of our stuff, over to God, He will
bring joy
to us and glory to Himself.
"Reflexiones de Nuestro Pan Diario"
Aportacion de: Ben Ayala :
Agradecemos a : rbclatino[dot]org -and- odb[dot]org
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario