We rely on God to change us
One of the simplest and most difficult steps in the 12-step process is the Sixth: We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. This is a natural progression for folks who have worked the first five steps, but I also think some of the things this step teaches us are universal and helpful to all. For the next few days I’m going to share some things I have learned from this simple step.
This particular step challenges the participant in two ways as it requires a complete willingness to have God do for us what we cannot do on our own and a commitment to the ongoing work of admitting that we have shortcomings. As have previous steps, this one may challenge our more traditional way of thinking about our faith. In a world that often asks us to give more to God as an act of contrition, love or obedience, this step invites us to release, let go and surrender.
If you ever visited our church, you would not be overly impressed. We struggle to define ourselves in large part because we don’t try to unless someone presses us. Various attempts have been made: are we a recovery church, a church in recovery, a treatment facility, a ministry - who are we? Our favorite tagline is, “We are not much of a church.” We have no strategic goals or mission statement. We do not keep a membership roll and we are hopeless at the administrative tasks that enable more traditional churches to grow and thrive. Most churches focus on what they can give; often we are surprised by what we receive.
Our cheap chairs were getting old and starting to collapse on people and we needed to buy new ones. As a pure gift, a business owner discounted new cushy chairs AND offered us some free modular pieces that made for comfy sitting in our common area. Inspired by this new look, I went to the local Home Goods store and purchased some soft white plush accent pillows, a chunky afghan to throw over the back of one of the sofas, candles, fake plants and a couple end tables. As I was checking out, the clerk commented, “You must be redecorating your den.”
“Not my house, my church! I’m super excited!” I gushed.
Her head popped up and she stared in shock. “This does not look appropriate for a church.” She scowled to emphasize my poor choosing.
“Well,” I said, “we’re not much of a church.”
“Why do you go there then?” She asked, clearly confused.
“I’m the pastor.” I responded. Silence. She couldn’t get rid of me fast enough. We are not much of a church if you define church as a place we gather to give back. But if you believe God wants more for us, he wants us to receive, heal, and rest - our chunky afghan and soft white pillows are the perfect accessories.
