How to remain relational when you are in conflict.
This past fall, I had the privilege of being a part of a teaching series for our church community on how to remain relational in the midst of conflict. Speaking on camera was a definite growth opportunity for me! But, being able to teach on living out of your true self, was a perfect fit for my heart. Here’s a snippet of what I shared. And, if you want to hear the entire teaching, I’ve linked it for you at the bottom the page. Scroll to the 7:15 mark to get started!
All of us will build our lives on something.
All of us need a foundation that will hold in the uncertainty of our world today.
When we feel our beliefs and values are challenged by the dominating cultural narratives. Or, we feel the tension in a conversation with a neighbor or family member, we NEED ways to remain relational.
One foundational way for us to stay relational is to LIVE out of our true identity in Christ. But, before we can act like ourselves, we need to explore the question, “What is my TRUEST self?”
In Colossians 3, Paul is writing to the church to encourage them to live this NEW life in Christ amidst some of the cultural pressures they were facing. Two main influences were tempting them to TURN AWAY from Jesus:
The first was Mystical polytheism, which essentially placed Jesus as just another God, in addition to all the other Greek gods they had known and worshiped. The second, being pressure from the Jewish Christians to strictly adhere to the laws of the Torah.
Paul is encouraging them that, through the POWER of the resurrection, Jesus offers them ANOTHER WAY to live, alternative to these cultural pressures.
A new humanity. Or, we might even say, a RENEWED kind of humanity.
“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the OLD SELF with its practices and have put on the NEW SELF which is BEING RENEWED in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Colossians 3:9
In order to truly understand who we are, we have to GO BACK to God’s original idea of who we were always supposed to be. When God created all of humanity, His intention was for mankind to BE LIKE HIM. For every human being to reflect the image of God. Every person is MADE to uniquely display an aspect of the Creator that is needed in our world.
And, when God was making something out of nothing, He had a very specific purpose for humanity: the capacity for relationship.
God said: “Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness.” Genesis 1:26
God is expanding the relationship that exists between the Father, Son and Spirit. He’s offering this gift of relationship to ALL of mankind- to ALL of us!
His original design for you and me was this:
BE. LIKE. US.
The image of Christ is already IN us but often it’s lying dormant, needing to be awakened.
In the book RARE leadership, Jim Wilder likens this to the “mirror neurons” in our brain’s identity center. Our mirror neurons come alive when we interact with those around us, “mirroring” the actions and behaviors of others.
Here’s a simple example: I work with a lot of infants in my profession as a physical therapist. When I smile big and my eyes light up with joy to see them, they reflect back to me that same smile and amount of joy! That’s evidence of mirror neurons at work.
The image of Christ in us is waiting for someone to notice.
To call out the good they see in us.
To bring out the original design of the Creator.
It’s just waiting to be identified and developed.