Dale Cresap's blog

Have you ever been convicted? This term has a legal sense but for this case consider the moral sense. Conviction of sin leads to repentance. What has been most effective in convicting you? The written word can do this, and believers commonly encounter forceful spoken messages from those with positions of authority in the church. But these are not the only alternatives. What about the unspoken and even unaware examples of those who act with an integrity that you do not yet possess? You have heard that actions speak louder than words.

Do you look to find the best in others? Does this sound like an approach that is both reasonable and loving? Yet it requires a high level of both maturity and security. Insecure and immature people tend to look for the worst in others. This provides a basis for exclusion and superiority. I spoke of those who sought to justify themselves and it never led to a positive outcome. If you are a child of grace and secure in that position, then you don’t need to establish yourself on the shortcomings of others. This is easier said than done.

Do you have a high-status job? This is a real concept whether it is discussed openly or not, and everyone knows where they fit in the hierarchy. Those who serve are considered to be of lower status than those who are served, but even within the realm of servants those who serve higher status people outrank those who serve lower status people, because they ‘tag along’ on the status of those they serve. You may recall that I addressed this matter of serving and turned the whole order upside down. By conventional logic those who serve the least of these would be at the bottom of the order.

Have you noticed that fathers have an image problem today? In popular culture they are portrayed as hapless and stupid. The most extreme insult that can be expressed today involves the accusation of patriarchy. How do you portray me? I am transcendent and ineffable, so I do not lend myself to exact parallels. So when I wanted to reveal myself to humanity I could have chosen any magnificent and powerful metaphor I wanted. I could have said that I was like an oak tree, or giant redwood, or an elephant, or a whale, or a mountain. But what did I in fact select from all things?

Are you in over your head? Children usually wade before they learn to swim, and the same imagery applies to the development of your faith. It is comforting to be able to touch the bottom, but this is only wading. This severely limits the places you can go in the water, keeping you close to shore. But there is risk and uncertainty and a loss of control in being in over your head. If you have been in deeper water you know that the water will support you even though it is not solid. In a spiritual parallel, do you know that the divine mystery will support you if you are in over your head?

In ancient Israel there was an annual ritual in which the sins of the people were pronounced upon a goat, and the goat was driven away, hence the term scapegoat. Do you smile and roll your eyes at this practice? Do you think that this custom is still practiced? It is, although it doesn’t involve a goat. The term is currently applied to people. Have you ever seen one group pronounce the sins of the world upon another group or person? This is still a common practice even if they aren’t able to drive that group into the wilderness. Have you ever done this yourself?

When someone complains about a problem, do you evaluate the situation to determine if they did anything to contribute to it by their own actions? Does this make it easy to dismiss their suffering by saying it is their own fault? Do you see how harsh and judgmental this is? Self-inflicted wounds are still painful. Who could be excluded from such a calculation? Who has perfect self-control and perfect comprehension of the consequences of their actions? How many lead such perfect lives that they don’t need grace and mercy? Would this include you?

Have you received criticisms for your actions? Has this happened even when you were confident that you were doing the right thing? Not all criticism is valid. Critics have their own shadows, so it is possible that their condemnation of your light is an expression of their own darkness. Some people have biases and prejudices and ideological positions. Who is entirely free of this? These are typically polarizing and have extreme forms.

Are you in over your head in your faith? It is easy to think that you have answers to all the questions if you have attended the same church for a long time, but your circle may not be large enough. Certainty is reassuring, but can you eliminate mystery from faith? Would you want to? If you are in control of all aspects of your faith is it faith in you or faith in me? I appeared to my people and they got more God than they bargained for. But you have come to the New Jerusalem, to the city of the living God, and your God is a consuming fire. It is okay to be in over your head.

Do you have a bias for the negative? Disasters and accidents make shocking and sensational headlines, and stories of this type seize and dominate the attention of most people. So do you assume that the overall situation of the world is bad and getting worse? Is this true? Do you have a doctrinal position that affects your perception of world events? For you should have a bias for truth, and understand things the way they really are. What would be a reliable source of information about overall measures and long term trends? Where will you find the truth that will set you free?