Our life experiences have had significant impact in
shaping how we view God. Today you will map out
your life story to better understand how your history has impacted
your image of God. You will be creating a timeline
of the critical incidents of your life. This will take 45 minutes
to 1 and 1/2 hours, so find a quiet place and settle in. (Special
thanks to Randy Reese for this exercise)
- Get out a sheet of paper and turn it horizontally.
- On the left hand side, write your birth date. Draw
a long line. On the right hand side of the sheet of
paper, write today’s date.
- Begin to think back to all the significant incidents
(both positive and negative) in your life that have impacted
your view of God. These critical incidents could be:
An event
An intense experience - trauma/triumph/disappointment/etc.
A relationship (family or friend or ?)
A significant conversation
A book/movie/song
Your church experience
Non verbal/verbal communication
from family/friends
Anything that truly impacted your view of God
- In chronological order (there’s a reason for this) jot down a word or phrase that helps you remember the specific critical incident that occurred at that point in your life
- Now, on a separate sheet of paper, write out HOW/WHY
these incidents so greatly shaped your image of God. The key is to remember both positive and negative incidents and how they impacted you.
Time for reflection….
When you look at your life story on paper, what are
some initial observations you make?
Are there any patterns/recurring themes in
your life story? If so, what are they? What sense
can you make of these?
Looking at your story, what has had the most impact
in shaping your image of God?
When you remember the image
of God you described last week, does your life story help you
begin to see why you have the view of God you have?
Note:
Here’s the deal. Many people live through
hell on earth…horrible relationships, pain, trauma,
and so on. Their life story (understandably so) begins
to shape their view of God. Many times though, God does
not cause the difficulties we live through. However,
we often blame God and become angry and bitter. Or we
think God is some type of hurtful, sick, horrible deity out
to get us. Is this really God?
Go back to your timeline and see how much of the difficult or negative incidents in your life were possibly brought on by something other than God…other humans, your choices, etc..
Hopefully, your life has not been hell on earth. For
those of you whose life has been pretty rosy, how has this
relatively easy life shaped your view of God? Do you
think your perfect behavior and choices have brought on God’s
blessing? Are you constantly fearful that your cushy
life will be rocked someday? What does an easy life do
to your image of God?
Why Focus on this?
With the college students I teach, I have found that their
life experiences and feelings PROFOUNDLY shape their image
of God. The problem is, subjective thoughts and feelings
toward God might not be accurate. But it’s usually
these thoughts and feelings that shape our theology…and
our spirituality.
If we base our spiritual formation (our spiritual journey)
on a jaded concept of God, we might launch off on a twisted
and confusing journey. So, what image of God has your
history shaped?
With your group/community this week….
Again, pick two people
to help the conversation along. Then light a candle/sit in silence/pray
to help everyone center in on the topic at hand. Then
start the conversation with the following:
- Identify ONE critical
incident from your history that had significant
impact in shaping your image of God. Share the story with your
group. Please be wise about appropriate levels
of disclosure…too much too soon is just, …well,
too much.
(It is important for
group dynamics that each person stick to only one
story/incident initially. This
will limit any one person from talking too long. Also,
it will help to keep people from over-disclosing)
As you tell the story, explain how this incident
shaped your image of God.
- Next, share with
each other if you noticed different spiritual seasons
impacting your image of God? (i.e. a season of questioning
God tied to painful life circumstances? Or
a season of rebellion tied to disappointments?
etc.) What season are you in now?
- Next, share which
portions from today’s
stories helps/challenges/encourages/builds upon/shapes
your own image of God?
- Gently wonder with each other,
if any portions of life stories have NOT helped
to shape an image of God that is consistent with
what is found in scripture.
End your time in a way
that feels natural – prayer,
silence, music, food, or reflection on the following
quote:
My story is important not
because it is mine, but because if I tell it anything
like right, the chances are you will recognize that
in many ways it is also yours. Maybe nothing
is more important than that we keep track, you and
I, of these stories of who we are and where we have
come from… because
it is precisely through these stories…that God
makes himself known to each of us most powerfully and
personally. If this is true, it
means that to lose track of our stories is to be profoundly
impoverished not only humanly, but also spiritually.
from Frederick Buechner’s Telling Secrets. |
Now What?
After group, reflect/journal
on: What did you
notice stirring in your soul as you shared portions of your
story and as you heard other’s stories?
FYI:
The individual exercise for next week will take about
20-25 minutes to complete.
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