Breaking Ground
What is the silliest thing you’ve been wrong about in your life? How did you come to realize you were wrong? Try to keep it light!
The Dig
This Sunday, we continued our series 12 Words, in which we’re using the 12 Steps as a tool for experiencing Christlike transformation. In particular, we dove into Step 4: “Made a searching & fearless moral inventory of ourselves” & the spiritual principle of self-honesty.
Begin by reflecting on the language of this step & the term self-honesty.
What comes to mind when you think of making a searching & fearless moral inventory of yourself? What leads us to succeed at or fail to be honest with ourselves?
Next, read Matthew 7:1-5. Here, Jesus outright prohibits his disciples from fostering judgmentalism in how they see themselves, others, & the world. To do so, he describes an absurd image of a person walking around trying to help other people remove splinters from their eyes, while being completely oblivious to the board sticking out of his face.
Why do you think Jesus takes the act of judgment so seriously? What does it produce in us & our relationships according to this brief parable?
Critically, Jesus doesn’t say that he’s only talking about judging others. In fact, many traditions interpret this teaching as Jesus prohibiting judgmentalism altogether, including casting judgment upon yourself. This same sentiment is shared by Step 4, which teaches us that being able to look at ourselves & our actions with non-judgment is critical for naming & healing from our brokenness.
How does self-judgment get in the way of self-honesty & seeing brokenness (both ours & other people’s) with clarity?
How does naming our brokenness with non-judgmental, self-honesty free us to start healing from it? What must we remember & embrace in order to do this in a healthy way?
If you’re willing, take turns practicing self-honesty. Try naming a mistake, failure, or area of brokenness from your past that’s shaped who you are. Share honestly about where you’re at with that brokenness today. Group Leaders: remind your members not to try & fix the other people’s problems – just listen, say “thank you”, & share your own story in return.
Close by talking about grace. How does grace empower us to be self-honest in a healthy way? How can recognizing & accepting grace in whatever you identified in the last question help you heal & move forward?
Getting Out of the Hole
In this series, take time each week to reflect upon the Step & Word that we covered in the Sunday sermon.
- Reflect on this fourth step & word. Where do you need to be self-honest? Consider what you admitted you were powerless over & how that’s impacted your life past, present, & future.
- How would naming your brokenness help you start to find healing within it? How can remembering God’s grace help you do so?
- Close by praying & asking God to guide you forward in this process. Ask Him to help you practice self-honesty & acceptance in terms of who you are & what you’ve done (the good, bad, & ugly). Remember that you are loved, forgiven, & never alone.
Additional Resources*
TheBibleProject.com
Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr
The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous by Bill W
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, June 8th: Join us next Sunday as we continue our series 12 Words!* Please see mye3.org for details.