Spiritual Formation

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Learning to write with the other hand


The process of Christlikeness is counter-intuitive. It goes against the grain of the fabric of self and our ego. Usually, for a new Christian whose set on following Jesus things get real messy before they get better.
Imagine a right-handed person penning their own autobiography. In the middle of the story a doctor diagnoses this person with severe arthritics in their right hand. It's debilitating and will create permenant paralysis if the writing continues. The only solution is to stop using that hand. "But", the eager writer pleads, "I'm in the middle of penning my life story. I can't quit now."
Now, imagine if the only sensible solution is that the author continue writing, but simply switch hands. This situation would call for him to learn to write using his left hand instead.
So, he surrenders to the doctors orders, dies to the use of his right-hand and places the pen in the other hand.
As he sits down to write, it feels quite awkward. It's uncomfortable. It takes intention and effort and energy and patience. The story he's writing continues, but looks messy on paper. It seems so terribly inefficient and stifling. There is daily temptation to go back to the old hand. Yet, the writer knows that despite the initial limitations and discomforts, it's the pathway to liberation and healing.

I think this is what it's like when we Embark on the Journey towards Christ. Following Jesus is like having to learn how to write (live) in a brand new way. It's not only difficult, but in many ways it disrupts and transforms the story we're penning all at once.

As a church, we must be highly intentional regarding those who are new disciples of Christ. For them their orientation must change. The way of Jesus is so clear and so confusing at the same time. People need guides and pathways to help them on this journey. At Hayward Wesleyan we have developed a course called Embarking on the Journey to help folks understand how Jesus is calling us to live in a way that seems counter-intuitive to all that we have known before.


There is nothing more rewarding for me than to be part of this intentional process. How does your congregation help folks learn write with the other hand?

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