BEING HONEST ABOUT BOOKS, THE MIND AND SIN
Please don't laugh at the title of this post. I had several topics I wanted to write about and decided to condense them all into one post. I really wish I could write more but I just haven't been able to prioritize it. Maybe scheduling it into my week would help. I have lots of time this weekend because I'm on a sort of mini vacation up in Indiana. My husband's brother and his wife had their first baby three weeks ago and I decided I had to fly up here and help out. It's been great to hold a newborn again and I hope I've been an encouragement to my sister-in-law. I remember what it was like those first weeks as a first time mom. I'll try to post a picture when I get back.
So...being honest about books. I have confessed before that I am terrible about finishing books. I am constantly buying books while I haven't finished the ones I'm reading. I'm always going from one book to another. Sometimes I'll come across an easy fiction book and will just devour it. I recently did that with my son. We read through all the Lemony Snicket books in about a month. That was fun. I also did it last year with all the Anne of Green Gables books. But I'm still trying to get through 1776 by David McCullough. Last summer I bought all the Case for Christ, Case for a Creator, etc. books by Lee Strobel, Augustine's Confessions, Resurrection by Hank Hannegraff and Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem. I haven't read those either. Meanwhile, I got two very meaty books for Christmas. One is Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards and the other is The Death of Death by John Owen. I think I need to have a reading plan. I don't want to be too ambitious, I just want to get through one book this year! So I'm thinking of committing to finishing one book per month. I'm not committing to not buying any more books though. Heck, I just went to Barnes and Noble this afternoon. Guess what? I bought a book.
The events I wrote about in my last post have made me think more and more about the power of the mind. I am constantly underestimating my mind's ability to absorb things, good or bad. It's very easy to have our thinking corrupted. But I continue to believe certain lies about my ability to handle certain things. I think I can watch certain TV shows and not be affected. I can listen to certain radio personalities and not adopt their cynicism. I need to take seriously God's admonitions in Scripture about the mind. My mind needs to be constantly renewed. I can't coast in this area for what goes into my mind trickles down to my heart. Transformation comes through the renewing of the mind. What happens if I do nothing? There is no cruise control for the mind, no auto-pilot. The opposite of transformation is stagnation or degradation. So there needs to be a constant awareness of my thought life. What am I allowing in there and how am I being proactive in filling it with the right things?
Here's a provocative question -- how honest should we be with others about our sin? We shouldn't always put on a mask and pretend everything is fine but is there an opposite pitfall of being too honest? I've been thinking about this after listening to one of Piper's messages on Romans 7. In reference to Paul's exclamation, "Wretched man that I am, who will save me from this body of death," Piper laments that the church is too superficial and we're not honest with one another about how we struggle. He says that if we were truly honest with our spouses, our children and our fellow believers about our struggles with sin, it would transform our relationships. I think this is true, but I also think there should be a balance. Our children should see us repenting and asking forgiveness when appropriate. We should be quick to admit our sins before our spouses. And we shouldn't pretend we have it all together in front of our friends. But is there also a risk in being too honest? I'm not sure but I've been thinking about it.
One final comment - do you realize what a fantastic resource youtube is? At no expense I can watch Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" with my children during homeschool and then later I can watch old video of the 1992 Olympics when Paul Wylie won an improbable silver medal. Isn't that cool!
3 comments:
Wow, what a thought provoking question. Years ago my husband was in a men's group that tried to promote accountability and honesty among the men. It was my husband's contention that the men should be accountable and honest first with their wives. This is very hard but it would also contribute greatly to modesty. Therefore in answer to your question I would say that husbands and wives should first develop this sort of honesty before seeking it in the greater church.
It is a very difficult thing. A good friend of ours is a very forthright evangelist but it makes some churches very uncomfortable.
We are always honest with people who try to paint us as soooo spiritual for not having a TV. We don't not have a TV because we are spiritual but because we are sinful. And unfortunately the Internet has undermined our attempt s by making "watching" the world easier and compelling.
Hi Cindy! Thanks for your comments. I agree with you about first being honest with your spouse. I think sometimes we women can share more with our friends than with our husbands. I tend to be more forthright and transparent with people, that's just my personality. I think it would help if we as the Church, in general would be less fake around each other. Everyone makes assumptions about everyone else and that only fuels gossip, resentment, jealousy and envy.
Thanks for your comments.
Hi Meredith,
You have a lot of thoughts in your post. :o)
First, Owens book on the death of death is very intense. I have not read it but my husband had started it. He is a deep thinking man and he had a hard time getting through it. So don't berate yourself too badly with the meatier books. :o)
Secondly, your thoughts about honesty are very good. I do think that I would agree with John Piper about the church being too superficial and how transforming honesty would be. On the other hand I think you need to define "honesty". I don't think that John meant that we should go up to someone and say, "You know I really think that your ugly and you need a clothing overhaul." :o)
I don't think that we should tell everyone we know what sin we are struggling with, but we need to find one good friend (our husbands or a girlfriend or both)that we can share our struggles with and hold ourselves accountable to them so that we can grow.
Accountability is something that I think we need but don't like. We are too independent. We think we can do it on our own.
Yesterday I was talking with a friend who is struggling a lot and she confessed some weaknesses with me. I encouraged her in the weaknesses by being honest about my own weaknesses.
In fact, I shared a quote that I saw on "I have to say..." her post called "Friends"
"Any woman alone without friends to sustain her, to nurture and support, to hold with loving arms, like a single thread is weak, but the weaving, the loving, the nurturing of others, the networks of friendship makes her strong."
I think it is the same way with overcoming our weaknesses and sins.
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