I had my first meeting with my mentor last week. It was helpful to talk more about why I’m doing Stepwise, how I’m finding it so far and take a closer look at my identity map. We had a chat about my identity in God, and how it often gets bound up in how my faith shapes my identity which is not quite the same thing. I do find it easier to talk about my faith more broadly than zoom in on my personal relationship and identity with God.
Where have I seen God this week?
- In time to sit outside, just listening to the birds singing and seeing the blossom starting to appear on the trees.
- In a moment of having coffee with a friend. I once came across the phrase “friends are God’s way of looking after you” and it’s so very true.
- In the prayers of others via social media when an online friend’s mum was unwell. Her mum is now getting better thankfully. I’m grateful for that, although I did struggle when I saw the comment “thank you, your prayers are being heard” because that implies that when things don’t go the way we want them to go, our prayers are not heard. I am quite sure that God hears all our prayers, whether they are answered in the way we would wish them to be or not (although there are times when I’m struggling and doubt that).
Where do I fit?
This week we are taking a closer look at where we fit and consider what leading a Godly life involves. One of the things we are looking at in preparation for session 3 is the five marks of mission, which are as follows:
- To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
- To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
- To respond to human need by loving service
- To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation
- To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
Of these five things, I think I generally focus most on 3 and 5. I do try to serve others in my daily life, although I don’t think I do this as much as I could do, and I am not always as quick as I could be to share what I have with others. Being environmentally conscious is also important to me – again there is more I could do, but I do try to be mindful of my own personal impact on creation and how I can tread more lightly on this earth.
I find 1 and 4 the most challenging. Evangelism is not something that comes naturally to me and I am often somewhat guarded when it comes to talking about my faith with others. I’m also not great at challenging violence and unjust structures. There’s a big part of me that is fearful of making a stand and raising my head about the parapet.
In some respects all of these things can be done alone, but their impact is very limited when done by a single person. They all need to be done with others to be most effective. In the case of 4 and 5, there needs to be a shift in thinking by society, in policies and procedures, and the government of the countries of the world. They’re both huge challenges. We as individuals can do as much as we can, but for our actions to be effective, they need to be supported by those in power.
A Kintsugi Faith 