Stretching Ourselves as Christians

Tonight at the book study we’re discussing the third chapter of To Love as God Loves by Roberta Bondi. It’s a chapter on humility, real humility, not the pale disjointed imitation of it that is so often mistaken for the real thing. It’s a chapter that stretches me. There are parts of it I disagree with. It’s also been made clear to me that the entire book has been stretching some people. It seems that it’s not an easy read for everyone and I think that’s all the more reason why everyone should read it. Just as our muscles atrophy for lack of physical exercise, so our mental and spiritual “muscles” will also wither and fade if we do not put them to work. I strongly believe that God gave us brains for a reason and that Jesus came to take away our sins, not our minds. We need to think hard, we need to push ourselves spiritually that we might better conform to the pattern of Jesus Christ and grow in the love of God. A lot of what is currently in print doesn’t challenge us; it’s important to our faith development that we find things that do. Over spring break I pushed myself to finish King, Priest, and Prophet: A Trinitarian Theology of Atonement for the purpose of exercising my mind. It deepened and enhanced my understanding of God and my faith.