Dale Cresap's blog

Do you judge yourself by your intentions and others by their actions? Does this make you seem more pure than they are? Are your intentions as pure as you perceive them? Do others perceive your intentions as favorably as you do? Does the reality in your mind match the real world? For it is only in this realm, that everyone can see, that judgments may be based on visible actions. Others will judge you by your actions the same way you judge them by theirs.

Have you ever encountered someone who said they would never trust anyone but God? Does this sound spiritual? Don’t be fooled. It isn’t. I have placed you in a community, even my own body. You cannot take your place in it without trusting the other members, and you can’t be effective in serving me in isolation. It is true that your fellow members are flawed creatures like yourself, and at times they will disappoint you, and you will disappoint them. You can recover from this. How can you recover from a suspicious and cynical life lived in isolation from your fellow members?

Does your church have a creed? Many churches do and recite it regularly as a statement of essential doctrine. Do you see your creed more as a philosophy statement or a mission statement? A philosophy statement would be what to believe, and a mission statement would be what to do. Does your creed emphasize only one aspect of your faith? What do you see in my life on earth? The importance of belief was already well-established, and I affirmed it. But don’t you see even more emphasis on telling people how to live, and what actions they had to take to live a godly life?

How would you describe the way that leads to life? Would you call it a strait and narrow way? This Biblical term means narrow rather than straight, but it implies a well-defined path. Or would you say that you make the path by walking? Would you say that your own path has been straight, or has it involved unexpected turns and detours? This may be a difficult question since you don’t have a map, and cannot see the destination, and have never been there before. Yet these should not be reasons for despair for you don’t really need any of these things.

Are you familiar with the concept of default states? Have you ever had to work up the courage and put forth the effort to be judgmental? Presumably this would take initiate and effort. Yet haven’t you found that this is the default state in other people, and yourself as well? Your mind is wired to code information and make classifications. In many ways this is useful and you can’t live in an ordered world without it. Yet this same trait can be used to impose condemnation on others, and I tell you not to do this.

Do you love your enemies? Do you find that this commandment is the simplest concept and the hardest thing to carry out? It goes against everything in your nature. How is it even possible? When my disciples marveled at my story about a camel and the eye of a needle I told them that what was impossible with men was possible with God and this is the same thing. It requires a total shift in the way you see. Do you see my face in every person you meet? They are all made in my image and likeness so it is there if you have eyes to see. Do you love me?

Have you ever been convicted? This term has a legal meaning as  well as a spiritual one. You think of conviction of sin leading to repentance. Can conviction be present even if there is no sin? Have you ever encountered an idea or practice and realized that it would be beneficial for you to incorporate in your own life? Have you ever done so? This too is conviction, but you don’t need to repent for not knowing about it earlier. Always be looking for opportunities for improvement. Don’t focus exclusively on eliminating bad practices.

Have you ever had a trusted friend hold money or other valuables for you? Has anyone else ever trusted you to do this for them? You know better than to give away their stuff. What about information? Things told to you in confidence are information that you hold but does not belong to you, and you can’t give it away indiscriminately any more than you would give away their property. What is more valuable than information that could be used against you? Beware of people who are too eager to share the secrets of others with you. They are just as eager to share yours.

Do you understand  the premise of your faith as surrender to me? Is this an unpleasant prospect because the word has such a negative connotation? What does surrender mean to you? Do you see it as passive, detached, and disengaged? This is not the type of surrender I have called you to. Can you practice surrender in a way that is intentional, active, and engaged? Sacrifice is a spiritual concept and in the original version required death. I have called you to be a living sacrifice. This calls for total involvement on your part. Can you embrace this more animated version of surrender?

Children need adult supervision and so this phrase has been commonplace for a long time. More recently the same phrase has been used with comic effect regarding adults who themselves need adult supervision. This is not normally intended as a compliment. Is it true? Is it true for you? The premise that it is not suggests that a person can be complete in themselves, independent and autonomous. Do you know anyone who thrives and grows in such conditions? Do you know that you cannot provide the total guidance that you need for your own life?