The mechnism of change

The primary process or mechanism by which we change is twofold:

1. Realizing the full extent of our brokenness 

    and 

2. Realizing the full extent of God's love in spite of it. 

We should pause and reflect on these two realities continuously. We will not gain the full benefit of understanding these otherwise.

The more fully we see these, the more we change. This is an ongoing, never-ceasing process until we go in to eternity.

In addition:

To see each fully requires seeing the other. One does not occur without the other.

We cannot appreciate and understand the fullness of God's love until we know the full extent of our brokenness and our constant, ongoing need for His love 

AND 

We cannot face or fully admit the full extent of our brokenness until we understand the fullness of his love.

These are like a loop. One feeds off the other and vice versa. We are constantly going back and forth between these two as if in an ever-expanding upward spiral, gaining a fuller understanding of each as we advance upward in increasingly greater trust of his love for us.

Also, a secondary but key part of our growth is understanding that we are still in God's image, even though greatly marred. The importance of this is recognizing that we are worth being loved i.e. lovable... which makes us able to receive, experience, and participate in his love. We are broken, but that is not saying we are useless or worthless. We are redeemable and worth being redeemed, or God wouldn't have made a way to redeem us.

For more discussion on this click here.

As broken as we are, we still can receive and give love back to God and in turn reflect that love out to others to his glory i.e. drawing attention to the greatness of God. 

We are *responsible i.e. "response able." We are able to respond (and do respond) in love to God when we receive his love for us. But we receive it when we believe it i.e. believe He made a way to restore us back to Him in and through Christ. And this way is the evidence of His infinite love. 

We are valuable precisely because we are like God and therefore able to have a conscious and deliberate relationship with God. We can be, and indeed in Christ, we are the sons and daughters of God and the brothers and sisters of Christ.

Thinking we can be our own god is our problem. Being in God's image and all that this means is not. It is a key element of our actual worth.

* Responsible:

2. Able to discharge an obligation; or having estate (property-that which we are in possession of) adequate to the payment of a debt (obligation). - webster's (1828)

#Lovely #Lovable #Responsible #ThoughtsAboutGod #ThotsAboutGod