We conclude our lesson on Jesus’ teaching about power and its misuse by looking at the power of naming.
People are made in the image of God, our Story tells us. Consequently, the transcendent, ineffable, Divine image is the deepest and truest parts of us. When we see a lesser trait of our humanity… a broken part, a wounded part… a foolish part, we tend to think we have seen something deep. But in fact, we’ve only seen a veneer overlaying the deepest and trues parts of us.
When we “name” or “label” those parts as “us” or when we label one another with this name, we diminish the deeper parts of us by making this ill-considered part of ourselves and others as the self we relate to.
Once we do this, we have reduced something transcendent and wonderful to a shadow of it’s truest form. And usually, we name one another (and even ourselves) something negative. The name we give doesn’t reflect the truest and deepest nature of our humanity, but it sticks… and it limits how well we relate with on another… and how well we can heed the teachings of Jesus about loving neighbor and enemy.
Have a listen.
Doug
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