Here’s the third discussion we’ve been having from the book, 12 Christian Beliefs That Can Drive You Crazy.
Assumption #3 – If I change my behavior, I will grow spiritually and emotionally.
From 12 Christian Beliefs That Can Drive You Crazy…
As a parent, you know that you cannot just teach your kids to change their behavior. It simply doesn’t work that way. And why?
Well that’s the message behind this particular chapter.
Do you ever try really hard to accomplish growth?
How does it make you feel?
Safe Haven group is a dynamic growing group because of God’s hand in teaching the real truth behind Christian growth and character. My husband and I are privileged to be a part of it.
Now with that being said, I must say it was hard for everyone to grasp the meaning of this chapter.
That’s because it goes down to the core root issues that people struggle with – but don’t know that they struggle with.
The outward signs are the symptoms of any problems. But guess what? Just like a physical illness, symptoms are bearable, until they get to the point of being unbearable.
That’s where we need to ask ourselves, “What kind of fruit do we see in our life?“ Look at pages 48-50 – they’ll give you a list of the fruit that is hanging on your tree. You can identify what this fruit is from that list on pages 48-50. Ask God for a revelation of what developmental stage you need to nurture – and He will grow you in it.
Let’s also ask ourselves, “What kind of fruit do we WANT to see in our life?”
If we don’t do this crucial step, we can do all we want to work really hard at “doing our devotions” or “serving in the church” but we’ll be spinning our wheels and approach burn-out.
For all the hard work you put into loving and serving God, you’ll be better off putting that energy into re-planting yourself into more fertile soil so whatever you do will grow more effortlessly – because then it’ll be God doing the growing.
Imagine a tree and the fruit hanging off of that tree.
What is fruit?
It’s simply what is seen. A person’s conduct, or behavior. For example, a person is patient – or a person is having trouble trusting others.
Now imagine the roots of that tree.
What is roots?
What is unseen. The only clue we can get about what’s in the roots is the fruit. The fruit tells us about the seed that was planted and about the root system. So follow the fruit to the root. That’s a start.
There’s so much more to this, but let’s end with these questions that we discussed…
Do you think there is some truth to “emotions follow behavior”? Why or why not?
Has there been wounds in your emotional development as suggested in the book?
Which 3 problems do you see yourself struggling with the most? (confusing fruit with roots, being forced into phariseeism & despair, denying the power of the cross)
Tags: Appreciation, Art of Listening
