Midweek Meditation: EHC Principle 6 of 6

In Peter Scazzero's "The Emotionally Healthy Church," the sixth principle to cultivate emotional health is to learn to "Make Incarnation Your Model For Loving Well." It means learning to follow three dynamics of incarnation: entering another's world, holding on to yourself without losing yourself, hanging between the two worlds.

"Prior to his death, Roman Catholic priest Henri Nouwen articulated, I believe, the struggle for many of us who are responsible to lead and serve in God's church. One voice says to succeed and achieve. He taught at Notre Dame, Harvard, and Yale. He averaged writing more than a book a year. His speaking schedule and ministry constantly threatened to suffocate his suffering life. The other voice was God's, telling him he was unconditionally loved. He had nothing to prove. This voice told him the goal of ministry was to recognize the Lord's voice, his face, and his touch in every person he met. Only in the last ten years of his life, he said, did he truly listen to that second voice. With that ever-increasing demands on our busy lives, it is very difficult to hear that second voice." (Peter Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Church, Zondervan, 2003, p177)

"Jesus listened; He was present, never in a rush or distracted." (p181)

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#5 - MAKE INCARNATION YOUR MODEL FOR LOVING WELL (1-Very / 2-Sometimes / 3-Not Sure / 4-Never)

1. I can regularly enter the lives of another person's world to connect with how they feel. (  )
2. People say that I am a responsive listener. (  )
3. I have a healthy sense of self and am in touch with my feelings. (  )
4. I can form deep relationships with people from all walks of life. (  )
5. I rarely judge others and often play the role of peacemaker. (  )
6. People know me as one who can suffer with those who suffer and rejoice with those who rejoice. (  )
7. I accept myself the way I am. (  )

Note that the lower your score, the better you are able to relate with others, self, and God.

conrade