In the last post I made the case that our souls desperately long for a blessing of affirmation. We need a voice outside of our own to tell us that we are worthy and have meaning. We long to be told that we are valuable not because of what we do, but because of who we are.
That is why the Biblical call to “Learn Christ” is so significant. While there are many arenas of transformation that Jesus longs to lead us into, there are none more foundational than establishing our identity in our status as the beloved of God.
If this is true, it leads to an obvious but elusive question: Why is it that we have so much trouble receiving and internalizing the blessing of God?
The connection between the craving we already possess and the blessing that God already offers seems like it should so much easier to consummate. If this is what we long for, what God provides, and what Jesus is leading us to, then why does it feel so uncommon to actually experience this blessing?
This is a question that I would encourage you to spend some time reflecting on. In one sense, this is a universal struggle. At some level we all share in this dynamic – Jesus Christ attempts to lead us to a deep sense of identity transformation, yet we often find that it to be an idea that is easier to acknowledge at an intellectual level than it is a reality we are able to experience at the soul level.
From there the journey gets far more specific, and tailored to each person’s story. My guess is that whatever it is that gets in the way of you internalizing the blessing of God is different than what gets in my way. We’ve all had different experiences, and carry different questions and doubts.
That’s not a bad thing. But it certainly requires a great deal of self-reflection. We need to prayerfully consider what it is that gets in the way of us delighting in that which God says is true of us. In fact, I would say that learning to recognize and name these barriers is one of the most important thresholds we cross in the journey of spiritual transformation.
I have reflected on this question a lot in my spiritual life, and I’ve found that at least two barriers have become clear for me. I’ll share each of them over the next two posts with the hope that it might spur on some Spirit-led self reflection for you as well.
But for now, I’d encourage you to keep wrestling with this question.
Why is it that we/I have so much trouble receiving and internalizing the blessing of God?
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Follow @danielhill1336
I am a lifelong Chicagoan, a pastor at River City Community Church, and an author who writes a lot about resisting and confronting white supremacy from a faith lens.
Our church was founded in January of 2003 in the west Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago, and is centered on the core values of worship, reconciliation, and neighborhood development. We long to see increased spiritual renewal as well as social and economic justice in the Humboldt Park neighborhood and entire city, demonstrating compassion and alleviating poverty as tangible expressions of the Kingdom of God. It is also through the gift of this faith community that I have learned to see the profound historical and spiritual impact of the stronghold of white supremacy, and where I have been challenged to broaden and deepen my understanding of discipleship in the hopes of becoming a serious enough Christ follower who is able to meaningfully participate with those who have risen up in defiance of this evil principality.
The lessons learned in this journey have been captured in a pair of books on race. The first, White Awake, explores the barriers that white people tend to face – white Christians specifically – when we attempt to awaken to and understand white supremacy through a faith lens. I spend a lot of time here addressing the internal defenses that are bound to go off when this journey is taken seriously, and I chart out a path for developing a resilient spirit that steadfastly moves towards truth, justice, and equity. The second, White Lies, further builds out the path for the white Christian who longs to actively participate in the resistance and confrontation of white supremacy. I spend a lot of time here exploring why it is so hard to tell the truth about race, as well as expose the lies that sustain it, within white, Christian, Bible-believing environments. I then propose nine practices that position us for engaging in this task.
On the personal front, my career started in the marketplace, as I was part of three dot.com startups in the 90’s. My vocational path shifted when I joined the staff of Willow Creek Community Church in 1998, and I spent five years working there. I started River City Community Church in January 2003 and have been happily serving here ever since. On the education front, my undergrad was in Business (Purdue University), my graduate degree in theology (Moody Bible Institute), and my doctoral degree in community development (Northern Seminary). On the family front, my wife is a Professor of Psychology, and we have two amazing children (Xander and Gabriella).
drdanielhill.com 
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