Breaking Ground
Think of a time when you were 100% sure you were right about something… only to discover that you were 100% wrong. Keep it light & identify a moment that’s humorous in hindsight!
The Dig
This Sunday, we concluded our series Why by exploring the topic of deconstruction through the question, “What if we’re wrong about our beliefs?”
Many people were taught to think of asking questions or being wrong as forms of moral failure; which, in turn, produced great anxiety or led them to hide their doubts.
How were issues related to having doubt or asking questions about beliefs treated in your childhood faith tradition? How did that impact your willingness to ask questions or talk about your doubts?
How do you react to the thought of being wrong? Why does the thought of being wrong produce so much anxiety within people, especially when it comes to issues of religion?
Read Job 42:1-6, Proverbs 3:3-8 & 28:26, Matthew 18:1-4, Luke 18:9-14, & Romans 12:1-3. These are just several (of many) verses from Scripture that challenge us to recognize how our human perspective will always be, in some way, limited. Thus, God calls us to be humble concerning our own understanding, open handed with our beliefs, & always willing to have our minds changed if God reveals our previous ways of thinking as biased or flawed.
Why are open-mindedness, willingness, & humility critical qualities for healthy spirituality? What dangers arise from lacking such qualities when it comes to our belief or worldview?
How does recognizing the limited nature of our human perspective help us navigate things like doubt, questioning, & admitting where we might be wrong about our beliefs in healthier ways?
Ultimately, we’re called to find a balance between deconstruction (the act of questioning the beliefs we were given) & reconstruction (the act rebuilding a faith or belief system that’s truly our own on the other side of deconstruction).
Why are both of these tasks critical for developing a healthy spirituality, faith, & worldview? What happens when we foster one without the other?
Have you ever undergone deconstruction & reconstruction? What was that process like? How did that lead you to a more honest & truthful perspective of yourself, others, & God?
Coming Out of the Hole
Take time to reflect on the Sunday sermon & how this week’s teaching might speak into your daily life.
- Can you identify a moment in your faith journey where you had to undergo deconstruction & reconstruction? What led to that experience & how did it feel?
- Did that process prove to be helpful for you? That is, did it help you release potentially unhealthy perspectives about God & discover more truthful ones?
- Where might you be wrestling with doubts in this present season? How can you humbly acknowledge & engage those questions here at E3? What fruit might come out of facing them head on with others?
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen
Falling Upward by Richard Rohr
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, February 18th: Join us next Sunday for week 1 of our new series In Excess, where we’ll be exploring several key moments from the life of King David!
* Please see mye3.org for details.