The lesson was on the "Healing of a Demon-possessed Man," from Luke 8:26-39. I could not come up with answers to the reflective questions. Here they are in brief:
- If I could be free of just one thing, it would be ____ (doubt, worry, bad feelings, etc.)
- If my worst affliction were lifted from me, I would most likely feel _____.
- At the present moment I am: a. isolated in solitary places; b. crying out to Jesus; c. experiencing God's healing; d. sitting at Jesus' feet; e. telling everyone what Jesus has done for me.
- The most helpful thing my small group can do for me is: _____(something about what God is doing in your life.)
Granted, I was a bit distracted by Acorn, but that is nothing new. I just wasn't feeling any of these things applied. On Thursday afternoon Acorn and I walked to the library and a book had come in that I forgot I requested. It's called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, and was brought to my attention by A Little Bit of All of It's September book selection. I've often had this feeling that we have too much. I've talked about it to a few people, but always feel paralyzed when it comes to doing anything about it. A lot of our stuff I would like to get rid of, but for most things, I rationalize why I need all this stuff and more. I've only read the intro so far, but it's really resonating with me now. I hope this book will help me.
One of the reviews on the back says it's not a guilt-trip, which is good, because I'm good at coming up with plenty of guilt on my own. In fact, during that Bible study, that was the answer to my first question. "If I could be free of just one thing, it would be guilt." But I couldn't tell you guilt over what at the time. And I thought, "well, guilt can be good; it keeps us on the right track." But if you're not doing anything to relieve yourself of the guilt (other than waiting until you forget about it), then it's not really doing you any good. At the present moment I am: all of the above? The most helpful thing my group can do for me is: get excited about what God is doing in my life, be part of it, and help me see what else God could do in my life.