Growing from Contentment (#992)
How many believers would answer yes to, "Are you everything God wants you to be at this moment?" Wayne invites Kyle into a conversation he is having with Tobie van der Westhuizen regarding whether spiritual growth best comes from the frustration of falling short or from contentment with what God is already accomplishing in one's life. Much of Christendom foments frustration as a way to motivate people to growth. What if it had taught contentment instead inside of God's love? As Tobie says, "The best way to grow in whatever God has for you is to be content with where you are today."
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Toby, I may never see your face this side of heaven, so I want to tell you, Thank You!
Thank You for adding your perspective and richness to this conversation!
Awesome episode!
Thank you Wayne and Kyle.
Thank you, Rory, for your comments. I emailed your message to Tobie to make sure he saw it, too. Blessings to you!
I was an enthusiastic God Journey listener some time back. Haven’t caught any episode for probably 5 years (when Brad left the pod cast…). We were at the Jesus Lens filming and really enjoyed that.
I listen to you talk about your relationship with Jesus and feel that there is something really life giving there. Jesus helping you to become the person you are meant to be. I was an on fire follower of Jesus at some point, looking to follow all of the teachings, even the hard ones. Eventually I found that Jesus is a pretty harsh task master… If you deny me, I will deny you… If you put your hand to the plow and look back, you aren’t fit for service in the kingdom of heaven…
It’s interesting how the writers of the gospel portrayed Jesus in different ways, sometimes the loving companion, sometimes the demanding ‘Lord’. Listening to your pod cast again, it appears to me that for you, Jesus is a metaphor for relating to God as a loving father who will work with his beloved child to bring her/him to himself and to a fulfillment of experience as we are meant to be.
For me, at present, I can’t embrace the Jesus metaphor, but I do see God as being a loving mother/father/spirit that is bringing me to a place of contentment a place where I see God in me and in those around me and look for the fulfillment that God is bringing to all of us. For me, connection has become the guiding principal, connection with myself (God within me), with the eternal Spirit, with those around me (including those who differ), with nature, and the entire universe.
There are several fundamental doctrines in Christianity that I can no longer embrace: Original Sin (Man being at enmity with God because of Adam’s sin), The requirement of blood to satisfy God’s justice (fulfilled in Jesus’ death on the cross), The holiness of God illustrated in the Old Testament tabernacle and the inability of man to approach God (which then was resolved by Jesus offering himself as taught in the book of Hebrews).
I realize that there is a different way that people view these doctrines. I haven’t been able to do that at this point and for this reason wouldn’t call myself a Christian at present.
I also have a metaphor of connection with God. It starts with the majesty of my body, the breath, the blood circulation, the neural patterns. All of this is the majesty of God inside of me and inside of each one of us. As I see and connect to that majesty, it leads me into a profound connection with all of God and the universe. I look for ways that we can all reach higher to become what God is doing in the world and universe today.
Thank you for your continued work. I appreciate the impact you have had in my life and that you are having today.
Thank you for your post, Steve. I’m sorry some of the doctrines of Christianity have presented a stumbling block to you. Anything interpreted in a legalistic, works-based endeavor is sure to get twisted. I think we should be talking about original glory way more than original sin. I’m so blessed to hear that through it all, you’re finding a connection to God that is real and meaningful. May it grow deeper and more alive.