Living in the Spirit
October 3, 2018
Scripture Reading: Psalm 26
Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you. –Psalm 26:1-3
For some reason, I am spending a lot of time recently considering my worldview and the worldview of others and how such worldviews impact my faith-view and my interactions with others. We are all products of our culture, our histories, our environment that shape how we intake information and apply it. While I have lived in towns or cities since I was 18 years old, I will always carry some of my farm- based childhood in my worldview. That is neither good or bad; it is part of my reality. I am female, white, heterosexual, well educated, and middle classed. I was taught to go to church on Sunday (actually every time there was a service) and to love my neighbors whether I wanted to or not. For those first 18 years of my life, I am sure I assumed that almost everyone else was just like me. College gave me the first major opportunity for that understanding to be tested.
I find that I have gone full circle. Everybody is just like me, unique. Because we are all unique and because we first experienced our uniqueness in family and community, they become a part of our uniqueness as they also shaped the ways in which we respond to diversities in individuals, families, and communities.
The Psalm above calls us to a higher level of understanding of how our uniqueness impacts our interactions with others as we attempt to live as God would have us live among all God’s children. Because our worldviews are so deeply ingrained, we must seek the Lord’s input to prove and try us as we seek to rid ourselves of any wrong values in our worldview and take on the Lord’s view.
Prayer:
Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you. Amen