AVOIDING* THE HALL OF MIRRORS
OR ESCAPING
CHAPTER 7
”Hello.” “Hello Back.” + Isolate the Prey (1|2)
Pages 89-95
Romans 15:5-7 (NIV) May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Colossians 3:12-17 (NIV) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Proverbs 15:22 (NIV) Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
Isolation can lead to victimization. If you are isolated, you are easier to pick off. This is a hunting tactic used by many predators. What is you default mode - (not talking about introvert/extrovert) are you more prone to stick with the pack or be a lone wolf?
Who is your support system? Who is standing guard with you and watching your back?
“Relationships are costly by their nature; we have to regularly die to small things and sometimes big things for them to flourish. We can’t do relationships on our terms alone; there is give and take and inconvenience, along with hard seasons as well as easy ones.” Think of some of your oldest standing friendships - how has there been give and take and inconvenience, along with hard seasons as well as easy ones? How have your long-standing friendships lasted?
This is Stef’s question: “How often, if we were really honest, would an enlarged heart help us to move beyond relational difficulties, overcome relational frustrations, see past relational obstacles, and go again after relational defeats?”