SuperFriends - Part 2

The Institute's been fun the last few terms out here at Camp Kivu - teaching young people what is for most of them a whole new way of looking at Christianity. Like always, it's very rewarding.

I've gotten a bunch of comments like "I never saw the big picture of Christianity like this." or "It really makes me want to read the Old Testament." or "Can you get this stuff to my youth pastor?". One particularly sharp young man,
especially affected by our discussion of the requirement that our works mirror our faith, called it a "wake up call".

So good - good for those of you that engaged in the discussion and came away challenged. I know I always walk away from these things changed in some way and this is no exception.

One interesting part of our discussion over the past few weeks has been the issue of uncertainty and ambiguity. In the Institute - I discussed it as it applies to worldviews. We talked specifically of the unprovable nature of any worldview.

Since neither you nor I can conclusively prove the truthfulness of our worldview (no matter what it is!) - I spend considerable time trying to help my students become comfortable being uncertain. To be at home in ambiguity.

I show them how their faith can be exponentially stronger by acknowledging and accepting the fact that their opinions, ideas and overall worldviews are inherently uncertain and ambiguous. Of course, I demonstrate that there is a way through the fog - a way of strength. It's an invigorating and adventurous journey for sure.

Of course - this concept is front and center in the discipline of leadership as well. And that's why I bring it up here in a discussion of the SuperFriends.

One of the students this week asked, "Why haven't I heard this before? Why haven't I heard that you can have strong faith while at the same time being uncertain?". Before I could answer, another student boldly replied, "because uncertainty scares most people to death".

Friends, Christianity is - a faith - is it not? We are asked by Messiah himself to believe in things we cannot see/hear/taste/touch/measure - right?

Yep, uncertainty does scare most people to death - and that's a shame.

Uncertainty scares modernist-egocentric-narcissists. So they try to stomp it out wherever they can. They micromanage everything. They crave and hog the limelight. They insist on being on top of their pyramid of sycophants because they alone have the "absolute truth" that all the rest of us only wish we could have.

And play on a team of equals? No way! That would introduce an uncertainty of their absolute control - which again scares them witless. They surround themselves only with people they deem weaker - people they can control.

bleh.

The SuperFriends have no such fear of uncertainty. They acknowledge their weaknesses (while of course trying to continuously improve). They take solace in knowing that their weaknesses are made up for by their co-laborers' strengths, and vice versa. So it's in their best interests to surround themselves with the strongest people available.

Think that through as you seek to lead in whatever capacity God has put before you. Does uncertainty scare you to death?

Hmmm? :)

1 comment:

Charles Baldon said...

Our pride fights hard against our faith, and often because of this we get the wrong impression of what faith is supposed to be like. J. I. Packer covers this in "Knowing God" very well, and I really can't improve on what he says. The gist of it is that we often expect our faith to grant us this bird's eye view where we see large parts of God's plan laid out in all their glory. Instead faith is like learning to drive; we don't get explanations for why the curves on the road exist, just the ability to navigate them as they come at us.

We can't be certain about so much; we can be absolutely certain about the character of the King we serve. And that basis for our faith can lead to superpower, indeed.