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Villodas: What to do with boredom in silent prayer

Rich Villodas with a fresh perspective on what will inevitably arise as we incorporate this practice:

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“Think of boredom during silent prayer as an act of purification.

In this uneventful moment, God purifies us of the false god of good feelings. While good feelings are gifts, they can easily become ends in themselves.

We can move from worshipping the living God to worshipping our spiritual experience.”

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I love that.

If you resolve to sit silently in a dark room for ten minutes, not praying to God, but just knowing that you’re with him, you’ll quickly be bored.

But as Villodas says, that can help purify us of the notion that every interaction with God must.result.in.a.powerful.worship.experience.

Do we expect that in our personal relationships?

No.

Villodas notes that shared silence is often a mark of close friendship.

And when you say, “God, I’m sitting here with you, nothing to say, just to be here,” it’s a sign that you believe that friendship.

And if you soon grow bored, think of it as God purifying you of the idea that every encounter must be moving.

It won’t be. But you’ll still be moving closer to God.

February 5, 2022

Do you have Relationship OCD?

written by Christian Heinze

Dr. Aliza Goldstein has an interesting piece at Psychology Today on a rarely discussed form of OCD.

It’s called “Relationship Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder” (ROCD), and is characterized by a person obsessively “questioning if they are in the ‘right’ relationship” and focusing “on their partner’s flaws and/or perceived incompatibilities.”

This isn’t just the standard, “Is this my eternal love?” kind of question that we all have, which usually answers itself “yes!” or “meh, nope” through time (read this piece on the difference).

It’s obsessive rumination and constant gauging to figure out if you are “sufficiently in love” with your partner.

Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz explains it this way to Healthline, “The senseless thoughts and doubts about the relationship don’t make sense to the person and they get upset that they’re thinking them. They might say, ‘if I love my partner, why would I have these thoughts? Maybe I don’t love them’.”

And then of course, people with ROCD start to look for “a guarantee that they are really in love.”

And, as with all other forms of OCD, it causes intense distress and disruption of their lives.

The International OCD Foundation notes that ROCD has been linked with mood, anxiety, or other OCD symptoms.

However, you can have OCD without having ROCD.

Dr. Jenna Feldman tells Bustle Magazine, “People with ROCD often have a catastrophic fear of regret” and that “perfectionism” and “intolerance of uncertainty” are common characteristics.

Interestingly, the International OCD Foundation notes that you can have “partner-focused” ROCD or “relationship-focused” OCD or both.

“Partner-focused” ROCD tends to obsess over whether the other person is the right one for a myriad of reasons.

“Relationship-focused” ROCD tends to obsess over whether the relationship itself is the right one.

Not only can these obsessions rob people of joy or satisfaction in a relationship, they can also cause considerable mental harm.

The International OCD Foundation notes:

Extreme beliefs about love may also make people with ROCD more vulnerable to negative relationship thoughts or emotions. Examples of such beliefs about love may include “If the relationship is not completely perfect, it is unlikely to be ‘true love’”, “If you doubt your love for your partner, it is likely it is not the ‘right’ relationship” and “If you don’t think about your partner all the time, s/he is probably not THE ONE.” Similar to other forms of OCD, beliefs about the importance of thoughts (e.g., “If I think about it, it must mean something”), difficulty with uncertainty, and an inflated sense of responsibility (e.g., failing to prevent disaster is as bad as causing it) may also increase sensitivity to ROCD.

And, people who have ROCD are often single for a very long time.

(Note: There’s nothing wrong, at all, with staying single. Single means freedom – every married person remembers that and sighs, at some point. But C.S. Lewis famously said that the “price of freedom is loneliness” and married folk often forget that).

But most people with ROCD don’t want to single, and so they feel intense distress both without a relationship and within one.

Dr. Owen Kelly notes that many of the thoughts surrounding ROCD are common in romantic relationships, but it only becomes ROCD when the obsessions and compulsions disrupt your life in a significant way.

If you feel you might have it (or better yet, if a friend suggests something, because friends often can see our OCD before we can), call a therapist for further evaluation.

Dr. Kelly says some potential causes of ROCD are changes in the brain, the loss of a loved one, trauma, difficulties in close relationships and more, and that treatment usually involves psychotherapy, medication, or both.

But as with most forms of OCD, Exposure and Response Prevention seems to work best, according to Dr. Abramowtiz.

Finally, the OCD Center of Los Angeles has a tremendously practical guide as you consider whether you have ROCD.

Included: Some of the most common, specific obsessions of those with ROCD — the “What if?” questions, the “Do I?” questions.

Also included: The common compulsions, which include avoidance and reassurance-seeking.

Also included: Its impact.

And of course: Treatment.

I have OCD but have never experienced ROCD.

When I’ve been in love, I’ve never wondered, “Is she the right person?” Doubts could never appear where she danced in my head.

But as I was reading about this kind of OCD, I started wondering about my relationship… with God.

Of course, ROCD usually centers on a romantic partner, and God isn’t that.

But I do sort of obsess over my relationship with God and ask many of these same questions.

“Is this the right God?” (The Angel of the Lord killed all the firstborn in Egypt. C’mon. That’s terribly hard to accept. Pastors duly note it’s in the context of the redemption of Israel. But still, c’mon, that’s brutally hard to accept. Couldn’t there have been another way?).

“Do I really love Christ? Or do I just love the idea of salvation?”

“Does Christ really love me? Let me run through all those verses again. Yes, he loves humans. But I wonder if it’s just others. Does he really love me?”

The poet William Cowper, who wrote many great hymns, famously believed that God’s love was for everyone….but him.

And we sometimes wonder that, too.

In fact, “sometimes” is too generous. “Often” is too easy. “Nearly always” is more like it.

Could it be that Christians with OCD might apply some kind of ROCD onto our relationship with Christ?

Of course, there’s no academic literature on that. Imagine trying to get a research grant for that.

But religious scrupulosity has some overlap here, and that’s been studied extensively.

I don’t want to venture too far out on this tree, particularly because I don’t want to confuse ROCD with scrupulosity.

And I don’t want to end a post on ROCD with something else.

But it’s something I’m going to consider in my own life.

Am I obsessed with doubts about my relationship with Christ to the point where it disrupts that relationship? Where it disrupts my life, robs me of my joy?

If so, it might be from my OCD.

SOME RESOURCES ON RELATIONSHIP OCD:

Psych Central.

International OCD Foundation.

Very Well Mind.

Healthline.

WebMD.

OCD Center of Los Angeles.

Psychology Today: “7 Ways to Stop Relationship OCD from Ruining Your Love Life”.

[Painting: So common it’s a cliche; so good it can never lose its wonder. The Kiss by Klimt].

And because I love this film and score so much, and Genevieve and Guy didn’t (at first) seem to have ROCD, I might as well use this post as a chance.

February 4, 2022

Some benefits of meditation

written by Christian Heinze

Healthline has a tremendous read on 12 science-based benefits of meditation.

No matter what some Christians think of that word (more on that later), the science is indisputable.

Meditation (and there are many, many types) is good for every part of ourselves.

Check out Healthline’s piece, with all the attendant studies cited, but here are a few highlights.

Stress Reduction. Studies have shown that in can reduce the bodily inflammation response caused by stress, and also might alleviate symptoms of PTSD, IBS, and fibromyalgia.
Anxiety Reduction. Scores of studies have shown mindfulness meditation reduces anxiety levels, particularly in those with high anxiety.
Depression. A massive study of studies found it demonstrated “moderate to large reductions” in depression. One of the mechanisms might be through its effect on inflammatory chemicals involved in the depressive process.
Lengthens attention span. Studies have shown that regular meditation seems to improve attention, focus, and clarity when performing a task.
Dementia. It might reduce certain symptoms associated with dementia, including memory, attention and mental quickness.
Can make you kinder. Metta meditation, in particular, can lead to more positive emotions, understanding of others, and warmer personal interactions.
Addiction fighter. A study of transcendental meditation in alcoholics found that it was associated with lower levels of alcohol cravings, stress, and psychological distress.
Improved sleep. Studies have suggested mindfulness-meditation can improve sleep quality and quantity.
Pain control. In a massive study of studies, meditators were able to cope with pain better and even experienced a reduction in pain.
Blood pressure. A meta-analysis found it helped reduce bp, most likely by calming the fight or flight instinct.

Healthline discusses even more, and read them here.

But the point is that meditation (and there are many types), has enormous physical and mental health benefits.

Now of course, Christians have a long history of skepticism with that word and are quick to add, “Yes, meditate like David on the Word of God.”

Well, yes, I do that.

But that is entirely different from, for example, mindfulness meditation.

It’s using the word “meditation” in two different ways.

When I “meditate” on Christ and what he’s done for me, I have this pastiche of thoughts of my sinfulness, his mercy, and all these other things having to do with Christianity.

It’s hardly mindfulness, which is “a state of active, open attention to the present.”

It’s entirely different from meditating on Christ, which by definition, is a connection to the past, present, and future.

I’ve tried mindfulness meditation in the past, and just never quite committed to it.

But I recently downloaded an app, decided to really commit, and so far, I’ve been surprised at how relaxing it is.

How regenerating.

Just breathing and focusing on breathing and each thing you’re feeling. Turns out the hype is kind of right (ugh, sorry to report that, in a way, because I’ve never wanted to join the meditation crowd).

So now I do it for 2 minutes when I wake up, 5 minutes at lunch, and then before bed.

And after just a few minutes, I do feel different.

But you have to commit to the process.

I’m a cynic by nature (massively), but you have to let go of that if it’s going to help.

There’s nothing remotely unChristian about doing any of this.

It’s entirely theologically compatible to believe “Jesus Christ is the way, truth, and life,” and take deep breaths and focus on the sensations around you.

Just like it’s entirely theologically compatible to believe “Jesus Christ is the way, truth, and life” and eat Cheerios for breakfast.

There is no heresy in deep breaths. Or focusing on the present.

Paul wasn’t angry at false teachers because they were teaching mindfulness meditation. Etc etc.,

In fact, there’s great spiritual benefit!

This post, however, is primarily about some of the physical and mental benefits.

(But by next week, I’ll probably have stopped meditating).

[Painting: Philosopher in Meditation, Rembrandt]

February 3, 2022

Simpson: The “whitewashed tombs” churches

written by Christian Heinze

Amy Simpson, in her classic book, Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission (read our interview here).

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“Any church that demands health, attractiveness and high performance from its members will succeed in filling itself with people who are good at pretending to be healthy, attractive high performers at all times, regardless of the true story unfolding in the places only God can see.

Jesus’ term for such people was ‘whitewashed tombs.’

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Indeed.

When hurting is seen as a sign of spiritual failure, it’s no wonder the hurting struggle feeling at home in church.

The church is excellent at saying, “If you’re hurting, come here, and we will welcome you.”

But there’s often a catch.

If you’ve been there five years and still struggle, the message becomes, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been here five years? Aren’t you growing in Christ?”

Well, if you come to church with a broken back, you’ll have a broken back, five years later, unless you get medical help.

And the same goes for depression, anxiety, and these other medical conditions.

“Growing in Christ” won’t grow you out of your depression or anxiety any more than it will grow you out of a brain tumor.

And yet, Bob Smietana highlights a 2018 Lifeway Research study that shows just how backwards the church has it.

One of the complications for Christians with mental illness is that they feel pressure to still grow spiritually.
Lifeway Research found that most pastors (76 percent) and family members (74 percent) felt a Christian with acute mental illness could thrive spiritually, even if their condition was not stable.
Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of people with mental illness also believe that someone could thrive spiritually even if their condition wasn’t stable.
The experts in the Lifeway study, however, cautioned that stabilizing a person’s mental health should come first.
Christians can feel God’s presence and comfort in the midst of their struggles with mental illness.
But it’s difficult to thrive spiritually if someone’s mental illness is not stable.

Absolutely.

Christian psychiatrist Dr. Brian Briscoe puts it this way in our recent interview.

“If you’re clinically depressed and you’re not functioning well, the medication can make it so you can go about life, functioning. And of course, you’re going to feel better at engaging in life.
There’s also an aspect of depression that involves “anhedonia,” which is an inability or diminished ability to experience joy or pleasure.
That’s a biological process.
Let’s say you’d normally enjoy going to a movie or throwing your grandchild in the air.
If you’re clinically depressed, that joy or pleasure is diminished.
Likewise, in your relationships, when you see someone you love, your ability to experience that joy or pleasure is diminished.
That happens in your horizontal relationships.
It also happens in your vertical relationship.
When you’re clinically depressed, your ability to experience joy and pleasure towards God is affected.
God is still with you, but your internal experience of that is diminished.
And when people are depressed, they will often feel that God is distant.
Many times — assuming the medication is right and improves the underlying anhedonia — your spiritual experience improves, your connection in your horizontal relationships improves, your joy and sense of pleasure is restored.”

February 2, 2022

Study highlights geographic challenges for rural patients

written by Christian Heinze

A brand new study in The Journal of Rural Health highlights significant disparities in access for mental health treatment, based on geography.

The results aren’t surprising:

Urban dwellers with private insurance were far likelier to receive mental health care than rural dwellers with private insurance.

Is that because urban people are more depressed? Or simply because they have better access to mental health care?

Well, studies have shown similar prevalence in mental health disorders between those living in the city and rural areas.

The authors suggest access plays a big role.

There are fewer mental health specialists in rural areas. That might be why folks living in rural areas had to pay higher co-pays for their treatment, mostly due to out-of-network costs.

Obviously, higher copays place a financial burden on rural-dwellers who are probably even less likely to be able to afford those copays than urban dwellers.

Both higher copays and lack of specialists (i.e. psychiatrist and psychologists) probably contributed to more rural patients seeking care from their primary care physician.

PCP’s are great, but they’re not specialists.

Now… the authors merely speculate that those could be issues behind rural dwellers lagging urban dwellers in accessing mental health treatment.

Another fascinating study of studies from last year in The Journal of Clinical and Translational Science noted that there seem to be other factors at play, as well, including a greater stigma towards these conditions in rural areas (the rugged individualism thing) and less literacy on mental health issues.

Access, finances, stigma — all of these and more seem to be an issue.

So what can be done?

Well, for access, the authors of the Journal of Rural Health study suggest programs that incentivize specialists to move to rural areas.

And second, they argue for an expansion of teletherapy services.

Teletherapy is effective, but the pandemic provided fertile ground for studies on its effectiveness. And, not surprisingly, it turned out that teletherapy was less effective than in-person therapy, unfortunately.

That being said, teletherapy does have advantages.

For example, it’s more convenient (no commute) and thus breaks down one significant barrier to entry, especially for rural folks. The New York Times gives a largely positive view of it in this piece, while acknowledging some of its key deficiencies.

If you’re looking for a provider in your area, Psychology Today has a great little zipcode screener, and you can even sort based on whether a provider offers teletherapy.

So…

Find a psychiatrist here.

Find a therapist here.

[Screencap: The wonderful 1940 movie version (and even more wonderful theme by Aaron Copeland) of Thornton’s Wilder’s famous play “Our Town”].

February 2, 2022

A different worship

written by Christian Heinze

Vaneetha Rendall Risner, in her book The Scars that Have Shaped Me:

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“Giving up my right to have something exactly as I want it can be an act of worship.”

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January 30, 2022

Mental Health Links

written by Christian Heinze

DEPRESSION:

a. Scientists find a new biomarker that can help identify and lead to better treatment for depression. A doctor from Johns Hopkins, who was not part of the study, marvels: “that’s the holy grail: to find some biological mechanism for depression.” It’s a technical read, but pretty compelling. The great thing is that, with this particular biomarker, doctors will be able to see whether a patient will respond to a particular antidepressant within the 7 day life cycle of the platelet. Currently, it can take a few months on a medicine to know if it’s working. Awesome.

b. And on the subject of blood biomarkers, researchers have identified a set of 15 biomarkers that can predict with 83% accuracy if a pregnant woman will experience significant depressive symptoms.

c. And on that subject, a new study suggests digital CBT (dCBT) may help prevent postpartum depression in women up to 6 months after giving birth

d. STUDY: Teens addicted to TikTok show working memory deficit, likely fueled by increased depression and anxiety from the app.

e. WSJ: “Is Looking at Art a Path to Mental Well-Being?” (That’s one of my favorite pieces up there).

f. STUDY: Depressed people are more likely to believe vaccine conspiracy theories. Negativity bias could help explain the distrust.

ANXIETY:

a. STUDY: Using brain imaging, scientists are now understanding why the children of critical mothers are more likely to demonstrate psychopathology later in life. Of course, critical fathers probably play a role, too, but the study was limited to mothers.

b. Have Covid right now? Have anxiety about it? Have trouble sleeping? There’s an academic study for that. Progressive relaxation exercises reduced anxiety in patients with Covid, and also improved quality of sleep. Here’s a really helpful guide on Progressive Muscle Relaxation from the University of Michigan. Included: all the muscle groups, and instructions.

c. STUDY: Anxious, middle-aged men are at a greater risk for developing heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes as they get older. All the more reason to find treatment.

d. “How to Calm Anxiety: 8 Tips from Medical Experts.”

e. “Paranoia vs. Anxiety: What you need to know.” The main difference is the belief in persecution, conspiracy, or threat against oneself (paranoia). Of course, those with paranoia are often anxious, and sometimes the anxious have paranoia, but they’re separate conditions and accurate diagnosis is important.

EATING DISORDERS:

a. “Pharmacological Management of Treatment-Resistant Anorexia Nervosa.” There are still no FDA-approved medications to treat AN, but there’s widespread off-label treatment of it. Good article examining those treatments.

b. You might be hearing the term “Food Freedom” these days. Here’s a good read on what it is, and how it can help prevent and recover from eating disorders. The scientific evidence is overwhelming. Dieting doesn’t work. It also promotes an unhealthy relationship with food that can lead to eating disorders. And again, it doesn’t work. Maybe for a few months, but it’s not a long-term solution to a relationship with food.

c. Something increasingly visible. ARFID (Avoidant-Restrictive-Food-Intake-Disorder). Some skeptics might scoff, “Oh, that kids just only wants to eat candy. Shove the veggies down.” No, this isn’t about just wanting candy. It’s a real disorder and I’ve seen it. And it’s never about candy.

d. WSJ: Social Media is leading to more eating disorders among boys and men.

Verse: “From his abundance, we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Christ Jesus.” – John 1:16

I know it sometimes doesn’t feel as if we’ve received one gracious blessing after another. Especially when we feel so horrible. God knows I know that. But we do have Christ’s unfailing love, and though we might not understand it, he understands us.

“Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.” – I Corinthians 1:15:43.

Keep going.

Find a psychiatrist here.

Find a therapist here.

If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself or others, please call the National Suicide Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

January 28, 2022

Do you over-apologize? (OCD and a thought about John the Baptist, who didn’t have it, but I’ll explain why it’s pertinent)

written by Christian Heinze

If you over-apologize, you might have OCD.

I recently came across an article that talked about the relationship between Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and over-apologizing, and wow, it nailed me.

Psych Central has a good read on it, as well, and here’s how it manifests.

You might have an obsession with keeping a relationship intact, or keeping someone else happy, or a deep fear that you’ve done something wrong.

That’s the obsession.

That turns into the second part of OCD — compulsion.

In this case, you turn to the other person and start saying “sorry.” And continue saying “sorry” until there aren’t any other ways of saying you’re sorry.

And when there aren’t any other ways of saying you’re sorry, you’ll invent new ones, or go back to the old ones – kind of like a band that’s run out of ideas for songs.

That is the compulsion.

For the moment, it feels good. You get the reassurance you crave.

You’ve said you’re sorry, and you’ve either heard them say a) “you’re forgiven” or b) “it’s honestly no big deal!”

But that only helps for a few minutes, and you go to bed, and obsess, “Is it really okay? Maybe I need to apologize again one more time tomorrow.”

Then the next day, you check on them to make sure they’re okay and apologize again (the compulsive behavior) and so it goes.

People with OCD have difficulty with uncertainty, and so we’re trying to reduce that uncertainty, but the more we apologize, the more we feed into this unhealthy pattern.

We don’t ever really feel better the 6th time we apologize, do we?

So our tendency to over-apologize can be reflective of OCD.

It doesn’t necessarily mean we have it. Experts say it could just be a reflection of childhood trauma (where you were desperate to please a critical parent, for example).

But it can be a warning sign that you need to be evaluated for OCD.

Personally, I over-apologize, all the time, and I over-apologize to God, all the time, as well.

There’s actually a term for this called “scrupulosity,” and it’s law-based, it’s rules-based, and it assumes that the God who forgave the thief in a brief moment won’t forgive you after a lifetime of sorry’s.

There’s a passage in the Bible that makes me think of this basic fact — we argue with God over his forgiveness.

And it’s when Jesus comes to John the Baptist for baptism (Matthew 3).

John has spent his entire ministry, telling his disciples that he’s nothing — absolutely nothing — compared to the coming, perfect Lamb of God.

In fact, every time, people fall down before John, he tells them, “STOP. I’M NOTHING.”

Now what happens when Jesus comes and asks John to baptize him?

John refuses.

And not just refuses. He “tried to prevent him.” He “tried to talk him out of it.” (ESV, NLT).

How strange.

In their first recorded interaction, John, in effect, tells Jesus he’s wrong about something.

John thought he knew better than Jesus. John wasn’t worthy. Even though Jesus clearly counted him worthy.

We do this all the time, in our religious OCD.

Just like John, we try to talk our way out of Jesus’ words, and in our case, it’s his words of forgiveness.

In effect, we try to talk God out of his love for us.

Just like John, we say stand there at the Jordan and tell Jesus he can’t possibly be right about us.

Brennan Manning wrote, “It is simply not possible to know the Christ of the Gospels unless we alter our attitude toward ourselves and take sides with Him, against our own self-evaluation.”

That’s what John the Baptist had to do.

He had to take sides with Jesus, instead of his own self-evaluation that said he wasn’t worthy to baptize Jesus.

John finally obeyed, but I can imagine that if Jesus and I were to meet on the banks of the Jordan, and Jesus were to say, “You’re forgiven,” I’d spend the next week telling him, “Are you sure? Really? Don’t you know…”

I’d talk his ears off about why he was wrong about forgiving me.

In a way, you could call it humility, but in another way, you can see that it’s actually telling Christ he’s wrong about something.

The fact is that Jesus has forgiven us, once and always, and the great battle for Christians with OCD is to, as Paul Tillich says, “accept that we’re accepted.”

There are some churches that claim they’re about grace alone, but in sermon-after-sermon, they provoke fear that we might just still be sinners in the hands of an angry God.

No, we’re sinners in the hands of a loving God.

I don’t know if someone with OCD can truly ever accept that we’re accepted, which is why treating our medical OCD will always help our spiritual OCD.

And so, I end, as always…

Find a psychiatrist here.

Find a therapist here.

[Painting: Saint John the Baptist Sees Jesus from Afar, Tissot]

January 27, 2022

“Don’t drift away from the assurance”

written by Christian Heinze

Neuroticism tends to correlate and even predict the development of anxiety and depressive disorders, so it’s easy for us to apply that to our Christianity.

I do, all the time.

But I read this beautiful passage from Paul today, in Colossians 1 (emphasis added).

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“Now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body.

As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.”

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There are two key phrases that could stumble a neurotic Christian: “you must” and “don’t drift.”

Scary.

But what’s the “you must”?

You must continue to believe that you’re holy before Christ because of him, not you. Oh, and if you didn’t get the message with “holy,” he adds “blameless” and “without a single fault.”

So the “you must” is beautiful.

It’s not “you must” continue to obey perfectly. It’s not “you must” do anything. It’s only “you must” believe, which is The Good News.

Now what about the “don’t drift.”

He doesn’t say, “Don’t drift from perfect obedience.”

He doesn’t say, “Don’t drift from examining your faith, every hour.”

He says, Don’t drift from the assurance that, in Christ, you’re holy, blameless, and without a single fault.

In other words, Christ did everything for you, and is everything for you, and you can relax.

It’s hard for me to believe in the Good News, but God wouldn’t call something “Good News” for humanity unless it were.

The wonder of the Good News is that we don’t have to wonder if we’re good enough.

We’re still neurotics, but Jesus is still Jesus. That’s what matters.

[Screencap: The Passion]

January 26, 2022

Keller: Jesus as Example or Jesus as Lamb?

written by Christian Heinze

The world thinks of Jesus as Just a Good Example, which is a much more rational, palatable image than Jesus as Lamb, Lord and Savior.

In his book, Jesus the King, Tim Keller reminds us that there’s a reason we know otherwise (emphasis added).

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“When you see Jesus caring for the poor, forgiving his enemies without bitterness, sacrificing his life for others, living a perfectly loving and perfectly sinless life, you say, ‘I can’t do that’.

You’re right – you can’t.

Jesus Christ as only an example will crush you; you will never be able to live up to it. But Jesus Christ as the Lamb will save you.”

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For those of us (and anyone) prone to self-loathing, neuroticism, how wonderful.

Keller’s words again: “Jesus Christ as only example will crush you; you will never be able to live up to it. But Jesus Christ as the Lamb will save you.”

In your own personal life and mine, if you’re feeling crushed by the weight of your failures (as I often am), and you’re thinking all the “God, how’s?” and by that I mean, “God, how can you put up with me?” “God, how can you forgive me again?” “God, how can you still love me?”

The answer will always be — because he came as a lamb for us. As Good News for us. As the ones to rescue us from ourselves.

It’s only when we grasp this grace that we’ll then extend it. And Christ the Lamb is that grace.

When you and I focus solely on Christ as Lamb, then we’ll become more like him, but not until then.

Which is why the Lamb is always greater than The Example.

January 21, 2022

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