Pastoral Pondering...
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
These are the words of the renowned Twentieth Century psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Carl Jung. Jung believed that by living into our true selves, human beings tap into a transforming power—one of self-actualization that leads to a life lived in alignment with our innate nature.
In other words… the more we discover who God has created us to be, the more we discover our true path and live in harmony with God’s plan for us. But a few thousand years prior to Jung, the Apostle Paul also spoke of a transforming power—the power of our faith.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)
Transformation begins by God’s redeeming love that sets us free from fear, and freed to grow into the people God created us to be. In Christ, we become more genuinely ourselves, no longer fearing the need to be perfect or extraordinary—recognizing that we are imperfect people, loved by God to freely live into the plan God created us for.
You see… Christ’s own life and death has a lot to teach us about our human perceptions of failure. By all worldly appearances, Christ’s mission could be viewed as a failure—executed for what he proclaimed, suffering the shameful death of a criminal on a cross.
But, in faith there is no failure—only new opportunity! Opportunity to search ourselves and try again. Opportunity to learn from past mistakes and make new choices. Opportunity to give up control and let God do the leading. Opportunity to trust that we are made for a divine purpose and have been gifted for whatever it is. Opportunity to live into the plan that God will reveal, as our faith grows and God reveals our direction.
What a comfort it is to know that we need not be perfect or extraordinary—we need only be genuine. Community Presbyterian Church is that place where we get to be who we are, while living out the transforming power of our faith. We get to try on new ideas and new identities—becoming a new creation, surrounded by the love of other, imperfect people trying to become better versions of themselves, too! Together, we step out in faith, try new ministries, and discern who God is calling us to become. What an exciting time of transformation it is!
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