The error of my ways.

Yesterday, I was reflecting on my view of the world around me and how that effects my relationships. B and I meet weekly with another couple, who are getting ready to be married. Our conversations always challenge me to be as real as necessary and listen better than usual. It is exciting to see two people embarking on a journey with no idea where it might take them. For me, the fact that people still get married shows me that we, as a community of human beings, still believe in the unseen. Love, trust, hope, faith, these are all unseen qualities; and yet vital components to making marriage work.

So in my self-examination I saw again the ways that I have been changed. I also saw that I still struggle with embracing a more Stoic view of life rather than a fully Christian one. It is easier for me at times to put my head down and push through difficult times rather than sharing how I feel and revealing my vulterability. Actually, it was B, who observed my stoic tendancies before I was able to define what I was struggling with.

At dictionary.com, you can find several definitions for STOIC. Here is a brief summary of what it means to be a stoic: Stoic –adjective 1. of or pertaining to the school of philosophy founded by Zeno, who taught that people should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity. There is also an aspect of stoicism that relates to God being ultimately in charge, virtue leading to happiness and general acceptance of all events as destiny.

As I read through the definitions, I could understand why the early Greeks thought that Christians might just be a new kind of Stoics. In fact, today many might look at the Calvinist sector of the Western Church and see a reflection of the stoic worldview. But for me, I know that if I am pushing through life, not allowing myself to be moved by passion and just doing the right thing or the thing that must be done, then I am out-of-step with the kind of life I am called to in Christ.

Whenever I find myself in a stoic frame of mind I often return to this verse:
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. - john 10:10

Full life...what a wonderous concept...to be able to experience all the joy and pleasure of this world...to be able to grieve and mourn and weep for all the pain of this world...to be able to sustain hope in the midst of trials, tribulation, and trauma. That would be a FULL LIFE for me.

What would make your life more FULL?