Wholeness: Tangible

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. -Romans 7:15

I'm sure the above verse is something all believers can identify with. A tendency that points to the specifics of our brokenness, and hinders our wholeness if we don't heed these indicators. If you read the broader context of the verse, you will see he is pointing to the sinful nature of the flesh being behind it all. But the question is, why is the sinful nature so shortsighted? While I am sure there are many variables, one in particular that accounts for much of it is tangibility. The ways of the flesh are more tangible than the ways of the spirit. Our human relationships are more tangible than our one with God. Rules and regulations are more tangible than grace. Inclusion into society is more tangible than approval from God. Works are more tangible than forgiveness. Money and possessions are more tangible than salvation. Emotions are more tangible than faith.

Yet, what we find so tangible is so very temporary. These temporal things we value so much often disappoint and fall short of true wholeness. Yet, at the moment all our sinful nature can see is right then and there, the instant gratification of emotional relief. The assurance of what we can easily wrap our minds around and understand. Completely sacrificing the long term; as a result.

The long-term path to wholeness needs to be a very deliberate one. It will be full of distractions offering quick, but short-term answers. In many ways, it's one of the most pervasive obstacles we face in our walk as disciples. Yet, we often treat it so casually; hence, our repeated failures. Isn't about time we cast off all these self-destructive distractions and focus on what is really important with intent?

A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. ” -Isaiah 40:6-8

Wholeness: Through not around

According to counselors, people deal with external conflicts in one of three primary ways, avoiding, fighting, and dealing. However, I dare say when it comes to an internal conflict we have a tendency to all become avoiders. There is no point in fighters dumping their emotions on themselves since they are already there. Those same fighters can't shift the blame on internal conflict without turning it into an external one, which they often do. The high amount of interpersonal intelligence that gives dealers the insight to actually understand conflicts with others doesn't necessarily translate to internal ones. That takes the rare trait of intra-personal intelligence, which gives the individual the self-awareness to deal with internal conflicts. Avoiders can avoid, no matter where the conflict comes from. These are the people keeping themselves busy with trivial matters to avoid what's really important right now. As you can see, it's very easy to try to detour around the issues within. The world not only offers many options for this; it encourages it. Yet, if we truly want wholeness, the real answer is to go through it, not around.

The practice of psychoanalysis asserts that all our disorders stem from trauma in our childhood. Then seeks to identify that trauma. While identifying the root cause through therapy will take you to the issue, that in itself will not take you through it. Even modern psychology now recognizes that identifying the core of the issue doesn’t automatically change anything. There are a lot of learned patterns of behavior revolving around said trauma to overcome. Again, that requires going through it.

For the Christian, that means inviting Jesus into it. That is what brings healing to our wounds. Yet, the uninformed believer often does the opposite. They feel that they have to become perfect to invite Jesus in since we are often ashamed of what lies within. What we must remember is that Jesus already knows what you are trying to hide, and it won't be made perfect until you allow him in to fix it. We need to stop projecting these immature Old Testament ideas upon our New Covenant lives. In the end, the putty must go in the gap, not around it, the bandage must go over the wound, not around it. It is no different with our heart,

As I have already indicated, emotional trauma often lies at the heart of our issues. So naturally, we assume facing it will be like reliving that trauma all over again. Even the highly self-aware can become reluctant at the worst of it. So we will often do anything to avoid that, even if it means endlessly circling around the issue in a never-ending cycle that just keeps you static. All the more reason to invite Jesus into it, he is more than willing to hold your hand to guide you through the minefield of your heart. He is eagerly awaiting for you to do so. What are you waiting for?

The Visual PARABLEist 

Wholeness: For your own good

"It's for your own good." We hear this statement a lot, especially while growing up. Sometimes it's actually true, sometimes not. Sometimes we honestly believe it's true when we say it ourselves, even when our motives are not absolutely selfless. Sometimes we can't see past our nose well enough to realize others may need something different from us. Even when it is true, if we frame our demands so negatively, people have a hard time believing it. This practice of saying things are for their own good critically, or when it's more about us, can end up causing people to believe what is actually for their own good, isn't. 

Holiness truly is for our own good. It doesn't always feel that way, but much of that comes back to a poor understanding of the concept, and faulty teaching methods. The often-overlooked wholeness aspect of holiness that I have revolved this series on is proof that holiness is for our own good. Since true holiness leads to healing and completeness, not just surface righteousness. This is how agape love fits into the gospel.

Yet, those who try to bypass this dimension of holiness obviously care not for the brokenness behind the sin or the trauma that caused it. They obviously only care about the part that affects them, your behavior, or their pride. This is how agape love gets removed from the gospel. The irony of this is that such people often act as if they are the superior ones, despite this blatant omission from the gospel.

It's such a basic yet fundamental truth. Yet, its exclusion or inclusion can have a tremendous impact on the effectiveness of our ministry. Notice I used the word effective, not successful. Our craving for success in large numbers can often cause us to cut corners in our holiness, and ministry. Which is absolutely about self, not God's will.

"My biggest fear is that I'll have a good preacher, pretty worship, raise money, and the right people, and not make one disciple."

"If your vision is for a big church and not a big impact, you've got it wrong"

"We've minimized discipleship so much that we tell people what to do instead of walking with them." -Albert Tate

I said this last time, but it's worth repeating. Purpose gives us a place in the kingdom of God. Living out our purpose leads to fulfillment, as well as touching the lives of others in a positive way. This can lead the people we touch to walk the path of wholeness, and eventually purpose themselves. So this model has a self-perpetuating dynamic to it. Not embracing all three dimensions of holiness will absolutely throw off this dynamic. Being more concerned about your own good, than the good of others can derail this vital cycle in the church as well. Yet in our shortsightedness, we have indeed broken the cycle. This heresy has gone on long enough that we are reaping much rotten fruit; as a result. It's about time we revisit our foundation and patch the holes that we have left. It’s for your own good, as well as the church.

The Visual PARABLEist

Wholeness: Shortcuts & Rest Stops

Rick Warren initially struck a chord with the church universal with his book; The Purpose Driven Life. However, before it was all said and done, he left many people feeling dejected. Many people just had no idea how to incorporate this idea into their lives, having no clue what their purpose is. For me, this is a clear symptom of a lack of wholeness in the church. So maybe it's time to stop taking shortcuts around our holiness, to get to this coveted purpose. Since the only thing we have cut short is our progress. This often leads to a spiritual rest stop if you will. While there are seasons in this life where that is necessary. Yet, if that time can be measured in years, I dare say we are just avoiding, not resting. So let's have a closer look at a few points so you may have a better idea of what I mean by shortcuts and rest stops.

Impatience. It seems like there is always another preacher, teacher, self-help guru, or motivational speaker selling shorts cuts. They are capitalizing on humanity's impatience. This isn't always realistic for the simple fact we can't always see the entire path clearly from the starting point. We can't possibly anticipate every obstacle along the way. Unexpected delays often send the impatient into a tither. Yet, the irony of it all is their tantrums often only delay them further.
Getting ahead of ourselves. In many places, and at various times I've pointed out that holiness is something we become, not just what we do. However, Christ-likeness is something we do. If we have indeed become holy, this behavior should be the natural by-product of that. Purpose is absolutely a Christ-like behavior that we should be doing. So if it just isn't happening, even when we try to force it. We should really consider taking a step back and address the three dimensions of holiness. Instead of idly waiting at a virtual rest stop, which most of us naturally do.
Validation. As I have also indicated often. People are often more motivated by acceptance, approval, and inclusion than purpose. So if our talents and gifts don't happen to be one that the world wants to praise right away, then we won't necessarily want to follow that path. Purpose really is the "road not taken" for this very reason. It often seems far easier to take the highway to quick and easy inclusion. Even if we have to betray God's design to do it.
Fame and fortune. Not everybody wants fame, yet it seems that everyone wants a fortune. Yet, if we did find fortune all eyes would be on us anyway. Everyone always knows who the richest person in town is after all, so fame and fortune inevitably go together. My point being that Holy purpose is about touching the lives of others. Where fame and fortune are about serving self. Let's face it, the richest and most famous people are not always the holiest people, yet they are envied anyway. Even in ministry, the most famous often get that way by watering down the gospel to more palatable levels. While we may equate the envy of millions to self-worth, in the end, it's a way to cut corners to genuine worth. Remember, God is always more focused on the Holy remnant, not the largest gathering.
Thinking too big. In the Information Age, all eyes are on those at the top of their field. So we often compare ourselves to them, which we can rarely live up to. This often leads us to not bother. This can lead to a spiritual plateau. As I indicated in the last point, the top in their field is not necessarily the best people. Even so, it likely took years of effort to get there. Yet, we didn't see any of that because they were nobody back then. Even good ministries grow in stages, instead of instantly. I don't know whether we need another Rick Warren. But, I do know your local church needs volunteers. That makes you somebody in God's eyes, if not the world.
Comfort. The path to holiness is not one of comfort, since it requires us to face our brokenness and imperfections. So the path to purpose can't be comfortable either, since we ultimately only find true purpose along our path to becoming holy. This lack of comfort is one of the reasons why the subject of holiness is not popular. As well as why so many teachers try to skip over this step. But there really are no shortcuts around this. I liken this to trying to put gas in your car without taking off the gas cap. The fuel won't get where it needs to. So this won't take you very far at all. So if you truly want a holy, purposeful, and fulfilling life; you need to set the idea of comfort aside and disciple up.

Purpose gives us a place in the kingdom of God. Living that out leads to fulfillment. If we are doing this right we will be touching the lives of others in a positive way, a way that leads them to walk the path of wholeness, and eventually, purpose themselves. So this model has a self-perpetuating dynamic to it.

However, if we try to take shortcuts, and skip over necessary milestones of growth, maturity, and wholeness, we can end up broken down at a rest stop. Not that I’m saying you have to be perfect to start said purpose, God obviously believes in on-the-job training. Jesus did just that with his original disciples. Of course, he was there to mentor them. So, unless you are connected to the Holy Spirit, and engage in daily prayer, that’s probably not going to happen for you. Until you can recognize that small voice of rebuke, you can potentially do more harm than good with your purpose. God will not reveal your purpose until you’re ready for it.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons why you don't know what your purpose is, and much of it comes back to a lack of holiness in some respect. I'm willing to bet you have a better idea of what your purpose is than you let on, you just don't like the answer. Even if you don't really know, then you probably have a good idea of what your obstacle is. Whatever your specific obstacle may be, to sit and wait is not the thing to do. So it's time to step up and face it already, things won't change until you do.

The Visual PARABLEist

Wholeness: Inclusion?

According to sociologists, the primary cause of suicide, especially among young people, is the lack of social integration. However, there is another disturbing phenomenon among the excluded who manages to find inclusion; they often commit suicide anyway. Apparently, the price of acceptance is just too high, so they refuse to compromise themselves that much for the sake of approval. In the end, the value of validation through social integration just doesn't equal what the world promises. My point being, overcoming the perceived cause of suicide was not actually the answer for them.

I bring this up because this idea of looking to approval and relationships for wholeness is a very common perception. Hollywood perpetuates it in almost every show they produce. Even when it's irrelevant to the story, they shoehorn in a romance somehow. The worst part is, manipulative people know just how high a pedestal we put inclusion on, so everyone from politicians, advertisers, to cult leaders uses this to exploit us. Again, all their promises of wholeness never match reality. So we need to learn to put all this in perspective, and three-dimensional holiness actually does this.

Granted, God created relationships, and they hold a special place within the church. However, whenever we exalt the created above the creator, things inevitably go askew. Even getting one degree off course can lead us miles away from where we are supposed to be if we continue at it long enough. This fear of exclusion has definitely gotten us off track with our holiness. Remember, one of the other meanings of holiness is, set apart. So by definition wholeness, and the desire for inclusion is at odds with one another where holiness is concerned. This desire only makes us part of the world, not set apart from it. It has caused us to compromise ourselves in service of our feelings, not a distinct mission to serve each other. This has led to a vast crisis of identity since we look for wholeness by conforming to imperfect people, not God's perfect will. The church shouldn't be just another faction catering to our childish desire for inclusion, yet sometimes it becomes just that. In reality, we need to offer something more mature than that. Something that includes us into something far greater than this fallen world, the kingdom of God.

The holy should emulate the image of God, with the understanding that we cannot ever replace God. Trying to do so only causes us to taint our love with unrighteous parasitic behaviors. God does not want you to compromise yourself either. However, he doesn't want you limiting yourself to the shallow, superficial, and cosmetic definitions that your peers and counter cultures prefer. Nor, does he want you revolving your life around your broken state. God values you even when the world does not. God values your gifts and talents, even when the church does not. If we truly valued God we would set aside the ambiguous tradition, blind convention, sociological norms, empty culture, human validation, and everything else that breaks us. Then seek the creator who made us and the re-creator who can heal us. Only then, will we be whole enough to retain true fulfillment. A peace that naturally perpetrates more wholeness, not more brokenness.

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. -Jeremiah 2:13

Fear not exclusion from this broken world, fear being excluded from the book of life.

The Visual PARABLEist