Comments on: independence day http://www.thispile.com/archives/independence-day One Woman, Many Piles, Much Grace. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:43:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Natalie http://www.thispile.com/archives/independence-day/comment-page-1#comment-146999 Natalie Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:00:07 +0000 http://www.thispile.com/?p=4029#comment-146999 "It’s much easier and more comfortable to host crowded BBQs and planned play dates and to blog about living in community than it is to actually let myself be inconvenienced by others." I've been thinking about this phrase this week. I think the root of feeling 'inconvenienced' is indicative of our desire to seek our own comfort first, which I am realizing more and more is being dug at. Even the times when I get pushed out of my comfort zone, get into messy relationship with people, it then becomes comfortable and familiar and I resist being pushed and stretched into new places again. Our comfort is a way we attempt to save ourselves from inconvenience when in reality God is using inconvenience to save us from our propensity to seek comfort. To reaffirm defective views of the 'doing' and 'achieving' right standing rather than simply reveling in the freedoms we have to be inconvenienced because of and for the sake of the gospel. Too often I focus on what I do and don't do, it's easy to loose sight of sweet and blessed enjoyment of his acceptance, the finished righteousness of Christ. “It’s much easier and more comfortable to host crowded BBQs and planned play dates and to blog about living in community than it is to actually let myself be inconvenienced by others.”

I’ve been thinking about this phrase this week. I think the root of feeling ‘inconvenienced’ is indicative of our desire to seek our own comfort first, which I am realizing more and more is being dug at. Even the times when I get pushed out of my comfort zone, get into messy relationship with people, it then becomes comfortable and familiar and I resist being pushed and stretched into new places again. Our comfort is a way we attempt to save ourselves from inconvenience when in reality God is using inconvenience to save us from our propensity to seek comfort. To reaffirm defective views of the ‘doing’ and ‘achieving’ right standing rather than simply reveling in the freedoms we have to be inconvenienced because of and for the sake of the gospel. Too often I focus on what I do and don’t do, it’s easy to loose sight of sweet and blessed enjoyment of his acceptance, the finished righteousness of Christ.

]]> By: Dacia http://www.thispile.com/archives/independence-day/comment-page-1#comment-146994 Dacia Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:39:12 +0000 http://www.thispile.com/?p=4029#comment-146994 I've been thinking about this a lot lately too. I sometimes try to hide this exact feeling behind "priorities," but it's a silly thing I tell myself. I can come up with a good excuse for my behavior any day of the week. I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Love your neighbors preemptively." This, amid a gay pride and atheist sticker and it made me stop and think about how I behave in our church community and on our block. I guess bumper stickers can be worthwhile? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately too. I sometimes try to hide this exact feeling behind “priorities,” but it’s a silly thing I tell myself. I can come up with a good excuse for my behavior any day of the week. I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Love your neighbors preemptively.” This, amid a gay pride and atheist sticker and it made me stop and think about how I behave in our church community and on our block. I guess bumper stickers can be worthwhile?

]]> By: Elizabeth Grigg http://www.thispile.com/archives/independence-day/comment-page-1#comment-146990 Elizabeth Grigg Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:54:10 +0000 http://www.thispile.com/?p=4029#comment-146990 Thank you for this post. It makes me think of that book the Giving Tree, which was presented to me as a child as an example of God's love, but even then the metaphor irritated me because you can't chop down a stump anymore, so that contradicted all of the God's infinite love business. I read it as an adult out of night time routine desperation a year or so ago and thought it was the saddest book ever. But in this second reading, I was the stump. And mad about it. Probably this is because I am a jerk and not inspired in the right way. But don't you think even the faithful have to set some limits? Thank you for this post. It makes me think of that book the Giving Tree, which was presented to me as a child as an example of God’s love, but even then the metaphor irritated me because you can’t chop down a stump anymore, so that contradicted all of the God’s infinite love business. I read it as an adult out of night time routine desperation a year or so ago and thought it was the saddest book ever. But in this second reading, I was the stump. And mad about it. Probably this is because I am a jerk and not inspired in the right way. But don’t you think even the faithful have to set some limits?

]]>