Republican. Pet. Spaceship. Hero. Father. Mother. Friend. These are buzz-words….infused with our own uniquely created meaning before we even have to think. Not everybody shares your pre-set meaning to each of these words.
I had a mentally challenged cocker spaniel that was inbred and drooled. (She was free!). When you say the word “pet” to me, I automatically conjure up an image of that dog peeing on the cement patio and rolling around in it. Nice, huh? What does the word “pet” mean to you?
Try this one: Authority.
Think of every authority you’ve ever experienced. Teachers, coaches, parents, politicians, older-siblings, bosses, etc. Likelihood is that some were good, while some were bad. Authorities require that we submit. Some authorities might have been benevolent and wise as we submitted. Others might have taken advantage of us as we submitted. Other authorities were absent-minded…not aware that you needed them to be authoritative. The list of authority-types goes on and on.
I view Jesus as a teacher. Like it or not, he came to exercise authority in our lives…as a teacher. Don’t be mistaken. Jesus is an authority. And if that buzz-word is infused with your own uniquely created negative meaning,...well it's just going to be hard. I think this is one of the reasons it is hard.
But what if…what if the kind of authority Jesus is asking to have in your life is nothing like the kind of authority you’ve experienced in your life? This could be good news. But it could also be hard. It may require a good deal of un-learning and acceptance of new meanings for old-buzz words.
I had a mentally challenged cocker spaniel that was inbred and drooled. (She was free!). When you say the word “pet” to me, I automatically conjure up an image of that dog peeing on the cement patio and rolling around in it. Nice, huh? What does the word “pet” mean to you?
Try this one: Authority.
Think of every authority you’ve ever experienced. Teachers, coaches, parents, politicians, older-siblings, bosses, etc. Likelihood is that some were good, while some were bad. Authorities require that we submit. Some authorities might have been benevolent and wise as we submitted. Others might have taken advantage of us as we submitted. Other authorities were absent-minded…not aware that you needed them to be authoritative. The list of authority-types goes on and on.
I view Jesus as a teacher. Like it or not, he came to exercise authority in our lives…as a teacher. Don’t be mistaken. Jesus is an authority. And if that buzz-word is infused with your own uniquely created negative meaning,...well it's just going to be hard. I think this is one of the reasons it is hard.
But what if…what if the kind of authority Jesus is asking to have in your life is nothing like the kind of authority you’ve experienced in your life? This could be good news. But it could also be hard. It may require a good deal of un-learning and acceptance of new meanings for old-buzz words.
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