So with those opening words, let me recap this week's subject and our men's group discussion as follows:
What causes a K/21 to slide back into his old ways?
It is simple - it is the sin nature that we all have.
First, what insight does our faith give us? (Romans 7:18) "For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."
Each of us should know - whether you call it apathy, weakness, sin nature or the 'shadow' (as we call it in our K/21 dialog); it impacts our view on our value, it disrupts our growth as men, and it obstructs our spiritual (faith) pursuits. Yes, it is what tells us it is okay to do the things we know are wrong.
If we don't think about it, we don't see it. Others may see it in us by the things we say or do. It is what creates conflict and negativity within us. Are we stuck with it? Yes, but we can deal with it if we are honest about its place within us and if we have the desire to deal with it. How? Consider the following:
Have you seen the pain, the hurt, the sadness that your actions have done to others?
Do you struggle with making decisions or setting goals or by just doing well verses doing your best?
Do you focus on the image that you want others to see of you or do you work on becoming the man that you, your loved ones and friends are glad that you became? Do we do what we want to or what we need to? Do our actions hurt the women and children in our lives or help them, protect them? It all boils down to the decisions we make and the actions we take.
We can't just wish the 'shadow' that lives within us is gone. Every man must fight this good fight by self-questioning (remember the big hairy questions we learned about last year?), by developing accountability relationships, by recognizing what triggers those bad behaviors and if at all possible - pursuing their faith (which better enables the love within us and our pursuits of humility, gratitude and service).
We decide what we think, say, and do. What say you?
Yes there is so much more that we covered this week. Let us know via our Contact Form if you have any questions or if you would like more information on this session covered. Thank you.