Hi Readers! Hope you’ve had a great week! Let’s dive right into this week’s questions.
Myth #2: You Determine Your Truth
*What is the difference between Your Truth and The Truth? Have you ever followed or sought to live or speak “your truth?” What behaviors did you engage in? How did it end up?
*Explore the difference between Meology vs. Theology. Have you ever been seduced by Meology or Hipster Jesus Christians? Which Meology “influencers” feel especially powerful? Why?
*The author says that Christians cannot be part of cancel culture. Do you agree? If you have ever engaged in cancel culture, how did you feel about it in retrospect?
Myth #3: You’re Perfect the Way You Are
*The author discusses the “paradox of perfection” as a message that gives women conflicting advice. We’re told we’re perfect just the way we are but also that we need to be, or reach, a certain standard. This usually includes achieving a certain size body, living out a certain lifestyle or achieving milestones by a certain age. Do you find that you are caught in the “paradox of perfection”? How does this effect your life?
*The call for Christians is not to be the best version of their personality type, but to be like Christ” (Pg. 109). The author makes the argument that focusing on personality can cause us to miss the purpose and identity God gives us. Do you agree with this? Why or why not? How could personality tests become a hinderance to being more like Christ?
*Do you feel that it is good news that you are not perfect in, and of, yourself? Does this message feel freeing? Why or why not?
Scriptures of the Week
Romans 3:23
2 Corinthians 5:17
Philippians 2:13
Prayer of the Week
Father God, we come to You today asking that You would help us to stand up for Your truth. Help us not to be swayed by self-help mantras that replace the gospel, or by social media influencers- or even our own pastors- that convey ideas that are contrary to the Bible. Help us not to get caught up in what the world’s idea is of good and evil, but to know that we answer to You. We can align ourselves with Your truth and what Your words says about controversial topics. We can rest in the fact that we aren’t perfect because it’s okay that we aren’t. You are and that’s more than enough. We can live out of the identity You give us and rest in it. Help us to remember that we can quit striving! Anoint our thoughts and encourage us when things get difficult. Thank You for Your love and grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Week
*Read Myth #4
This book is so refreshing! I’m so glad the author is calling out all the ways society says we’re enough and what to do if we don’t feel like we are, and explaining the actual reason we still feel like crap when we adhere to them! 😳
We are a subjective culture and our “truth” is no exception. While people may agree with one another on certain things, there are still details that differ. This is fine, as we are all unique, but when it is concerning truth, we have a problem. If truth is relative, then why do we have standards, disciplines, or consequences? If truth is in the eye of the beholder, what’s the point of having it at all?
“Your truth” can be seen in Meology because it focuses on us and our comfort. Christianity is NOT comfortable, and while it’s ok to wrestle with its truths, we cannot try to make them work for us. When we adjust Christianity to fit our needs, we are not following Christ but ourselves…and since we’re not enough to fill our needs (though we think we can), we only end up disappointed.
Today’s “you do you” mantra is really annoying to me, but it fits so well with the “your truth” theme. I find it ironic then, that the cancel culture is so prevalent right now as well – how can we be encouraging one another to be themselves yet shame each other for “you doing you”?!
No wonder we have a paradox of perfection! Every area of life can be affected when we fall into this trap. Christ is the only perfect One, and we are only made perfect in Him. He made us all different and unique. We have so many personalities, and yet that is only one aspect of our identify.
I agree with the author that we cannot solely focus on our personalities when figuring out what our purposes are. For one (and most importantly), God can use whoever to accomplish whatever. Secondly, our personalities (and interests) can change over time, so if we limit ourselves to our present selves, we’re most likely going to miss out on things.
It’s such a relief to me that I am not perfect in and of myself!? I have struggled with a perfection complex (although I just recently realized it – Ha!) and finally figured out why I have been so mentally exhausted! I have felt the pressure to “be good” most of my life, and while I have “fit” into that category and not really wanted to be/do anything otherwise, the strain of always having to “perform” this role has been a burden.
Let me just make it clear: I am not good – no one is as the Bible says – but by the world’s standards, I looked “good”…this is not to toot my own horn. I am just setting the scene.
Recently, questions I never asked myself but know have been hidden deep within have begun to surface: What if I had done something wrong/different?” “Would I have been accepted/accused/mocked?”
My identity, in a sense, was founded on perfection, just in a more subtle way than others may have experienced. Realizing I don’t have to be enough – am not supposed to be – has started freeing me from this perfection complex. I am learning I can be myself (but not in the way of relying on my truth or “you do you” style) and relax because Christ is enough.
It’s all such a paradox. There’s no truth anymore, even in Christianity they have exchanged the truth of the Word for what sounds good – picking and choosing what they like out of the Bible and thinking that’s enough. It’s such confusion; I don’t understand how they don’t lose their minds! I want the truth to be solid and firm enough to stand on, not changing with every passing fad. And I want a God who is perfect, because I know I’m not and don’t need to be. How stressful and miserable to feel like we have to be perfect! That there really is no safe space to land when we mess up or fail… that’s so hard. I struggled with this for so long and am finally realizing that it’s okay to embrace my not enoughness and my imperfection – not in a way that I don’t care anymore or that I “let myself go” but in a way that brings freedom. I was so busy pretending to be good that it actually prevented me from being sanctified and coming to God to cleanse me, help me, change me, and catch me when I failed. And I think that’s where this whole culture of self-love and affirmation becomes so toxic. Anything that keeps us from God is not good. And it can be our own thoughts, beliefs, etc too.