boundaries
"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." ---Mother Teresa
I have been reading this book "boundaries". While it points out many facts that I couldn't clearly see by myself, I dislike its solutions. It quoted the Bible and claimed to be a Christian book. I found this claim quite irritating. I mean, any book can probably find some quotes from the Bible to support its arguement, but it doesn't make the book any more Christian than other books.
Do we need to say no sometimes? Definitely. But when?
Do we need to choose friends who can lift us up and purge toxin out of our lives? Sure. But is that all?
To me, it is very tricky.
My guess is that it all depends on our hearts. What is our truest intention of saying no or staying away from certain people? Are we simply seeking the maximum befenit for ourselves? Or is it based on love? Does our action draw us closer to who God intends us to be?
I just started reading another book "Sacred Pathways", which defines 9 major spiritual temperaments. During the "caregiver" section, it used Mother Teresa as an example, saying something like caregiver type of people get energized by helping others while "we" can get worn out.
Well, here is what Mother Teresa said: "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. "
She probably struggled as much as we do. But she was doing what God commands every single one of us to do. Love each other, not just our friends or family.
If it is easy to do, Heaven would be very crowded.
posted by beneathwing @ 10:05 AM
2 Comments:
You don't go to heaven because what you did here on earth, so your statement that if it was easy heaven would be very crowded is misleading.
Also I would have to disagree with your assumption that everyone doing God's work here on earth will look similar. Yes Mother Teresa struggled during her life, but we shouldn't all go out and do what Mother Teresa did. The Body of Christ is just that, a body. Thus if we were all legs then the body would be of very little use.
"Love each other" doesn't necessarily mean that we all do exactly the same. I for sure didn't say that we all go out and follow the exact path of Mother Teresa, if that is what you understood.
I am sorry that my last sentence might be misleading, although I didn't intend to. My point was that we could try a little bit harder. Surely God's grace is greater than our failure. But if we love someone deeply, we would want to do anything for him instead of thinking that "I am doing just enough".
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