The title of this blog is prompted by a comment on my previous posting and also is something that I actually wrote in an email this week...welcome to my world.
The email was about the intricacies of Safe and Sound - the SA Child Protection Policy - and I was quoting great chunks of it to a corps regarding how children should be transported in cars. Simple you might think...sit them on a chair, encourage them to do up the seat belt, turn on the engine and go? NO!
As I was writing, I could really sence the frustration that this might be causing and wanted to let them know that I know how they feel, how Safe and Sound shapes my work and how, yes, it feels hard,it IS hard sometimes, but with planning and risk assessing ( BORING, but so freeing!) etc it can all work for the good of everyone. Hence, WELCOME TO MY WORLD. Re- reading the mail ( way too much time on my hands!) I think it might have come over a bit naff, so, apologies to that corps if it did.
However, re: the comment on the previous posting suggesting that my world is, indeed, a strange and scarey place, which indeed, it is, I am going to rewind to Monday and our small group.
We had a very dynamic discussion, essentially about Grace Under Pressure. We majored on homosexuality in the church, as that was what Phil Yancy had set us up to do, but man, there is so much more isn't there?
How do you show grace to someone who just isn't in that zone, either ever, or at that particular moment and will misinterpret everything you say or even don't say as an attack, a judgement or a slieght ( right word??) I find that really hard in every aspect of my life; home, work, church.
I guess also, the times when I am feeling edgy, vulnerable,tired,stressed, bored etc would I recognise grace being shown to me ?
So my own response to my question, and I do that loads and it probably winds up my fellow Small Goupers like mad, was something like:
In the world of me, everyone will be like me...
I think I will make a Sims World of Me!
...which kind of indicates that I am the epitome of Grace and everything good, and my world is best.
Looking forward to any comments in support of this - those to the contrary will be EXTERMINATED!!
4 comments:
I too, think it's a shame that we focused on homosexuality because, you are right, there is so much more, which I dare I say, would be more relevent???
I'm sure they didn't think your email was 'naff'. You were absolutely right to step in and share what they needed to know.
People who are not in your world need a lot of educating in s&s, I wouldn't say it's an automatic thought - the world of doing what we like, how we like, is over. Maybe you need to invest some time in them?
I have to say for me, I don't even think about it at school (even though it's everywhere I turn) - it's just automatic, yet I don't when it comes to church.
Interesting.
I alwsys find everyone else's world far more interesting than mine!!
I know exactly what you mean. There is far far more to it. I find it an enormously hard subject. You brought up somethng I have been struggling with a lot lately - this idea of how to point out things that need to be pointed out without people feeling like they are being judged or taking it the wrong way. I think we talked about this at a previous small group too, but I am still not sure I know how to 'love the sinner, hate the sin' in a practical sense. Its ok as a theory, but think about specific instances and how you deal with them and suddenly it becomes a lot harder. Especially when you are responsible for people (for instance the whole safe and sound thing). If people are doing something wrong, we either have to let them get away with it, or not - and if you end up deciding to do something about iy, you run the risk of immediately being told you are being judgemental. I think that's why Philip Yancey talks about the Church being seen as a judgemental place. Even if its not being judgemental, it is seen to be the minute you try to take a stand on something.
For instance - I don't drink alcohol. When my non-army friends hear this - they think that I think they are wrong because they do drink. That's their immediate assumption, even though I don't think that at all!
Post a Comment