Ok, so far no one has appreciated my idea. But in the name of authenticity, can't we (who serve God in an organized church setting) name things for what they are? Here's what I mean...
In our fellowship, one of the responsibilities I have is to help facilitate the formation of life-giving, God-honoring friendship. Sometimes those friendships happen organically - a couple people both have on steeler's jerseys, strike up a conversation, go out for coffee, then end up helping to raise each others kids.
Of course, this is what we want to have happen all the time. But it doesn't always work that way. In the church we set up 'gatherings' that we hope will result in friendships. We have a connection lunch, a party, a picnic, a class...they are hoops. I know it's a hoop. You know it's a hoop. All God's children know it's a hoop. But that's ok. Sometimes we recognize a lack in our lives (lack of friendship, lack of fun, lack of a good pick up volleyball game, lack of knowledge of something we care about), so we jump through a hoop. We go to the connection lunch. We attend the party. We go to the picnic. We sign up for the class.
Unless we are ready to do away with the hoops once and for all (which I may be in favor of), I think the best thing we can do is celebrate them for what they are and let them be.
Life is full of hoops. Jump the ones that suit you.
1 comments:
The challenge is that I don't think all God's children believe they are hoops. "Hoops" are generally thought of as negative things that need done to get to a positive. Now while certain personality types my see the lunchen as a dreary thing they must do in hopes of something positive (i.e authentic frienship) Other personalities may enjoy the social interaction of the lunchen more than they need or would enjoy a friendship that comes out of it. Therefore for them it may not be what one would call a "hoop".
p.s. I am madly in Love with the auther of this post and therefore believe that the post is no-doubt correct & this comment is complete bunk.
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