Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Intimacy Inspires Mission

Intimacy with the divine and mission within the world are NOT exclusive of each other. However, I bump into a "worry" of sorts that too much focus on intimacy creates a self-focused individual who expresses very little mission. Maybe because intimacy with God tends to lead to wonderful self-discovery...the "realer" you. Hmm...but I guess there can be a propensity for fallenness to be expressed in one's pursuit of relationship. The same is true for the pursuit of one's mission though. Feeding identity wrongly turns either into less than its divine design ordains.

*A person experiencing their journey of wholeness/becoming in God in the context of intimacy is a beautiful thing. That hindered by a sin of narcissism, selfishness, etc...Yikes...yep, that leads to a life marked with little compassionate service.

*A person pursuing their mission/purpose with God is a beautiful thing. That hindered by a sin of feeding own worth/value...Yikes...yep, that leads to a life that sucks the "life" right out of the mission.

The more a person steps into their destined relationship with the Trinity, the MORE they can't help but see their mission...a lifestyle, opportunities, assignments...all to inspire, invest, steward, bless...OUTWARD. The more we see God...thus, the more we see the true "me"...thus, the more we see the true "them". That intimacy inspires a passion for others, for nature, for enterprise, for wonderful blessings for all of the lesser kingdoms we operate within... Missions we desperately long to pursue...

Oh, how beautiful!!

Maybe in the "worry" the question isn't "How can we give "equal time" to both intimacy and mission?". Maybe it's more "What aspects of my fallenness are hindering the fullness of my journey?". I'd imagine God would love to show us the things that hold us back so we can know Him more deeply and love more fully.

No comments: