Recently a friend shared something with me that her friend shared with her. It is reprinted here with permission from the author. I thought is was too "thought provoking" not to share with you. Enjoy.
As humans, we seek consistency, patterns, and expected positive outcomes from repeated actions. The results we see are satisfactory and usually applauded as a success by those we respect and admire. The process we have developed to achieve the results we deem satisfactory become a part of “how we do things”. In time, we migrate to operating in a prescriptive “box” gradually the process is no longer “how we do things”, but rather begins to define, “who we are”. Mentally, spiritually, and physically we move into a comfort zone. We develop a paradigm with strong emotional ties. This evolves over time, often years, we create a paradigm with expected and clearly understood outcomes. A tradition is born. In a church setting, the successful execution of the tradition, often without realization, becomes the desired outcome rather than being culturally relevant and connecting with the unchurched, under churched, and the core assembly. Our traditions are sometimes not understood, valued, or desired by those who we wish would accept or somehow “understand” they need our traditions. We may have a vague sense something is not working or misaligned but we haven’t grappled with why or we simply are comfortable.
When someone challenges our paradigm we perceive this to be an affront to who we are rather that the process. The tendency is for our response to be emotional rather than scriptural or logical. The change does not feel right. Traditions become encased in sentimentality and nostalgia. Our emotional entanglement is predicated upon previous experiences with positive outcomes. We cease to notice when the positive outcomes migrated to a tradition and then ultimately we are in a “brain stare” or paradigm. In turn, these traditions become an iconic part of how we have defined our selves or we think others view us. To change or evolve our tradition does involve emotions. Remember, the process became, at some point, a part of how we cognitively and spiritually define ourselves. The change does not feel right. Because it does not feel right, we struggle with adaptation. This is why you see individuals struggle with an issue or process that may be clear in its simplicity or next step evolution because they confuse the emotional with spiritual. To shift a paradigm or to move as the scripture says, “Into the deep” may involve a painful recalibration of method, motive, and a renewed view of the cross.
Phillip Sharp
