Verse of the Week:
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. (Romans 12:3 NLT)
Chapter 7 Video Links (From Her Green Room):
One was the section on "Who's Got Your Back". Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." What kind of friends do you have in your life? Do you have friends who are honest when you need them to be even at the risk of hurting your feelings?
I have to say, it has taken me until the last few years to develop a friendship that I can trust to be honest even when it doesn't feel good. I have a friend now who is able (and willing) to give me that self-awareness shot in the arm that we all need every once in a while.
A few years ago, I would have been hurt and offend by those moments, but now I'm more grateful for them than anything. Still maybe hurt for a moment, but after that, grateful to have some guidance as to what I need to focus on and even more grateful to have a stronger friendship than before when it's all over. Real and honest conversation can go a long way to help us grow into the women that God wants us to be.
Another really interesting (and somewhat relieving) thing in this chapter was when Jodi talked about Jesus and the open interaction that He has with His disciples. Peter rebuked Jesus at one point and Jesus didn't get upset with that. Jesus did confront Peter's wrong thinking, but not his outburst or rebuke. Peter had more than one moment of talking back to Jesus but Jesus never rebuked Peter for his outburst, he only consistently corrected Peter's thought process.
It is important for us to take time to self check. Time to reflect on our inner selves and where we are at is important. I think the best sentence of this entire chapter was in the very last paragraph in reference to a quote by Socrates which said, the un-examined life isn't worth living.
Jodi said: "I want to know myself, yes, but only in the presence of a living, forgiving, transforming, grace-offering God. Only He can make the converse of Socrates' statement true - the examined life is worth living."
No matter what flaws we may find in ourselves through our self examination, God can turn them around. Without that promise of redemption that He so freely gives us, all we would have is our imperfections. Through Christ, our imperfections can shine as a testimony to His goodness!!
Discussion Questions:
No matter what flaws we may find in ourselves through our self examination, God can turn them around. Without that promise of redemption that He so freely gives us, all we would have is our imperfections. Through Christ, our imperfections can shine as a testimony to His goodness!!
Discussion Questions:
- How do you want people to remember you? What do you need to do to make sure that happens?
- Read Proverbs 27:6, 28:23, and Psalm 141:5. According to these verses, what role do our friends play in helping us become who we are meant to be? Describe what the healthy "wounds" of a friend might look like.
- Read Romans 12:1-8. Self-awareness is not only about recognizing our weakness but also about being familiar with our strengths and the gifts God has given us. What gift do you see, in this list, that He has given you, even if it isn't fully developed yet? How can you begin to develop and use that gift?
- Is there anything else about this chapter you would like to discuss or that stood out to you?
I know it's a little late to be posting a comment on this but it was a good chapter. I frequently need to be reminded to examine my heart, my attitude, my motivation, etc! I think that the "healthy" wounds of a friend can be trusted because they come from someone who doesn't desire to hurt you but to keep you from getting hurt. Nobody likes to be rebuked but, honestly, if we are doing something stupid, we need real friends who will warn us! So I guess wounds from a friend may hurt now but if we listen to what they are saying they may save us from an even greater hurt later on. We also need to make sure that the words we say, if they hurt, are truly meant to help someone else.
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