Unit 3: Free Indeed

For those of you who aren't following along with this study, the titles with Unit in them are referring to a particular topic we are on. These titles will hopefully make it easier for those that are following along with blog comments on the study of "The Mind of Christ"

Whoa...talk about list-making! A bit over-whelming we all agreed. The author broke the list areas down into 2 categories: Neutral areas and Damaging areas. I wasn't sure about that, so I threw that out for discussion. First, we started with defining the areas. I want to share these definitions as I think they are helpful as you begin inventory of the mind. I asked that the definitions be to the point and understandable for say....a 10-year-old.

Neutral Areas:
1) habits - things you do without thinking
2) loyalties - special bond with someone or something
3) relationships - interaction between people
4) prejudices - to decide something without full knowledge
5) ambitions - wanting something enough to work toward it
6) duties - something you feel like you have to do, whether you want to or not
7) debts - owing something to someone
8) possessions - things you feel that you own

Damaging Areas:
1) fears - things that make you afraid
2) weaknesses - things you aren't very good at; things that you cannot overcome; things you have a certain fondness for (like chocolate!)
3) hurts - emotional wounds; spiritual wounds; damage that adversely affects you

We decided that guilt and shame should be added to the damaging areas topics. The group that worked on this said that there was a difference between guilt and shame. I can't remember exactly what was said but something to the effect that shame is more an emotional response to wrong-doing. Any comments on the difference between the two?

Then, after all this, I tasked them to find a positive and a negative example for the neutral areas. I wasn't sure about a "positive" example of prejudice. The author stated that he thought that the damaging areas were always negative. I disagreed so I asked the same question. Find examples of positive and negative in the Damaging Areas list. And, we were able to.

We felt that this discussion was helpful in clarifying our overwhelming task of making these lists. And, list-making (mental inventory) can't happen overnight. This is something we are going to work on all through the study. Some of us are finding that we have to pray specifically for God to reveal to us our problem areas. This is a risky prayer. We don't like to be told (even from God) where we fall short, even though in theory we know he knows. Somehow I feel if I just ignore it long enough, maybe oh maybe, it will go away.

Freedom....we fight wars in the name of it. But the greatest war, I believe, is within us to release control of the things we hold onto that are bad for us and to learn to truly desire a better way. May God help us in this task.