But it seems that people are eager to discuss things of the
Kingdom, and so this blog has gained more of an audience than I ever expected,
and therefore more influence than I ever imagined.
And as I’ve gained influence, I’ve gained critics. Whoa.
What a new concept! Some of them have been enemies. I’ve never had enemies
before! Some have just been passionate about their bondage, and hate the
freedom in God that I’ve been writing about. Some want to advertise their
products to the people who read my wall (in a word: no!). And some of them want
to fix me.
Now let us be clear: I’m brand new at this business of
having critics, enemies, fixers. I have clearly not responded with maturity
every time: to become mature, one requires experience, and I lack that
experience. (But I’m growing in it. I think that’s good....)
The last group confuse me the most: the people who want to
fix me. Honestly, I don’t get it.
First of all, I’m not aware that I’m broken, at least not by
Heaven’s standards, which are the primary standards I care about. But that’s
normal: most people think they’re not broken. And for that reason, I treasure a
large handful of relationships with men and women whom I have learned to trust.
They know me, and they have both permission and invitation to speak into my
life. I submit my doctrine and my practice of Kingdom life to them. I regularly
seek out their criticism and course corrections, which they are kind to share
with me. When they do, I try to I try to respond well, but I’ll admit to
struggling sometimes. I’m as human as anyone else that I know.
Not infrequently, their attempts to fix me, a complete stranger to
them, have been completely works-based, have been littered with abuse and
accusation, and have been clearly targeted at bringing me back into the bondage
from which Jesus has set me free. Many of them are clearly dysfunctional
themselves, though that’s not necessary a complete disqualifier (Peter was
pretty dysfunctional, when you think about it; Paul had a hideous past life!)
I bring this topic up for two reasons:
First, to state publicly that I am not currently seeking new
mentors, and I do not, in fact, submit myself to complete strangers for
correction. If you do not know me personally, you’re not a candidate to fix me;
if we have not been friends for a number of years, you are not a candidate; if
you don’t know my name, you are not a candidate; if you haven’t opened up your
life in the process of building relationship, you are not a candidate.
This is not because I’m trying to keep correction out of my
life (quite the contrary!). It’s because correction – or ANY ministry – must
come through relationship. If we don’t have a relationship, then it ain’t gonna
work, no matter how hard you try, and no matter if I invite your criticism or
not. Ministry flows out of relationship. No relationship, no ministry.
The second reason I bring this up is because many other
people around me are also moving rapidly and publicly into freedom. I’m not
special: if the fixers come after me, in order to “repair” the freedom that I’m
enjoying, then they’ll probably come after you, too, in order to “redeem” you
from freedom, from grace, from the Kingdom.
So I’m trying to pull the sheet off of the deceiver, I’m
trying to shine a light into the shadows: if you see someone skulking there, my
advice is: Don’t invite them to speak into your life from the shadows.
Yes, it is wise to seek counsel, and counsel to whom we’ll
actually listen and submit to. And since this kind of a relationship is foreign
to most western Christians, we’ll have to be very intentional as we seek it
out. But this needs to be a relationship-first kind of thing. Just because
someone has a big ministry, or a big reputation or a big mouth does not qualify
them to mentor you.
And anyone – ANYone – who is trying to take you or me back
into the shadows is not worthy of listening to.
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