the two faces of sense-making: a Thanksgiving perspective

"sense-making" - the cognitive activity of understanding our self and the world around us

TWO types of cognition


"Carnal mind" - our natural way of thinking as a human being (Bible calls "the flesh")
 based on Social Exchange, which explains that human understanding is constrained by the "norm of reciprocity" - the force that holds relationships together is the value that passes between them. Similarly humans are "obsessed" with fairness and Equity Theory suggests that a person must maintain equilibrium between what we receive and what we give based on some standard of fairness within the individual's frame of reference.
Thus, we give with an expectation of getting and we receive with an obligation to give back
Expectation "tees up" hurt feelings, sadness, and anger. Obligation fosters guilt and legalism.
Sense-making flows from circumstances - what is experienced through our physical senses.

"Kingdom mind" - this is a way of thinking made available to us when we are transformed by redemptive work of the Cross (Bible calls "the spirit")
based on Grace - God's acting on our behalf because we could and would not
Thus, we give with no expectation of receiving and we receive with no obligation to give back OR we give and receive out of thanksgiving for the grace that has been bestowed on us.
Sense-making flows from faith in the invisible and eternal sovereign work of God through His son Jesus that puts us in "harmony with the Heavenlies".

THIS GIFT of GRACE IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE "MINDFUL" OF THIS AND EVERY THANKSGIVING!!!

"flailing away with chaotic purpose"

Recently I was chatting with some students who asked me how I stand before them week after week lecturing without notes and seldom referring to the power point slides showing on the screen behind me. I found myself explaining the results of sharing with others the passion that resides inside us. I was linking this to what can happen for them when they pursue life activities (work, hobbies, relationships, etc.) from intrinsic motivation - the effort we put toward behaviors that bring us enjoyment, meaning and purpose. The phrase "flailing away with chaotic purpose" just seemed to flow from me as a way to express what I do as I play out what God has put in me.

This phrase is profound in that it captures the two aspects of the "purpose driven life."

One interesting point is that our purpose will likely produce chaos for us and those who love us. That is, we should not expect our actions to look "normal" to others. Why would I say this? Norms are behaviors that represent what some collective (such as a society, an organization, a family, etc.) has decided is acceptable and expected. By definition this forms a criteria for conformity of conduct EXTERNAL to each individual. Since each individual has been designed uniquely, these norms have to conflict at some  point with the intrinsics of each individual. Thus, the desire of an individual to be accepted by the collective influences he/she to suppress the behavior that may otherwise flow freely from their intrinsic purpose. While norms help maintain order, identity, and sense-making regarding the collective, they make our intrinsically motivated behaviors look "crazy" or "chaotic" rather than "orderly" to those around us.

For example, when a person chooses a path (e.g., vocation, marriage, recreation) that doesn't match the perspective others have for them, then often the person foregoes their "dream" to comply with the expectations of others. In the movie "Rudy" the main character was expected to graduate high school, work in the local factory, get married and buy a house. His dream to play football at Notre Dame was suppressed for 22 years. When Rudy decided to pursue his dream, he was seen as "crazy" by his family and friends and his life looked chaotic to them. A former student and friend Amy K decided in her late 30's she could no longer follow the path defined for her by "the world around her". She had to (compelled to) pursue her dream to "prosecute the bad guys." This seems crazy to her family and friends and introduced a form of "chaos" into her life when she changed course and entered law school.

The second point found in this phrase is "flailing away" represents the passion that is "by definition" associated with "playing out what has been put in us." Anything that is "fully us" will stimulate great desires. Passion is "that which propels us through obstacles as if they are not there in the quest for the object of our love" (Dudley Hall). We all deeply love our purpose. I call this the "itches of our soul" and we must scratch itches, we can't not do it (south Ala meaning of the word "compelled). The interesting thing about passion is that it draws others to us, it is contagious. It is appealing and brings others along with us on our journey.

Therefore, the reason this saying, "flailing away with chaotic purpose" is so profound is because it captures both sides of the coin of the "purpose driven life" in one simple thought. While pursuing our purpose is where our joy is found (that's why we use energy to "flail away") and it draws others to us, this pursuit at the same time causes conflicts with the expectations of others and creates risk for us of being accepted. Its in the social exchange of conforming to norms and expectations in order to be "loved" that we squash the joy of our purpose. God's plan for us is to be so secure in His love for us that we can be free to play out what He put in us.  

To live out our purpose and to find the joy that has been set before us, we must face head on (like Rudy and Amy K) the headwinds of norms. May we all have the courage, no matter our age, to "flail away with chaotic purpose." The consequences are Eternal.  Something to ponder .......

making sense of "I just want to be a good person"

I often hear people say, "I really just want to be a good person." Of course there is nothing wrong in and of itself about wanting to do the right things, but there is a lack of understanding what this really means. To the carnal mind (our natural way of thinking that is based on reciprocity), what we are really saying is that I wish to behave in a way people will think well of me. So, in a sense this is a perspective of ourself which says that if I do things a certain way ("be good"), then I will receive from the world around me the consideration and identity I wish to have. In other words I will "be good" for the social standing I desire to obtain and maintain (social exchange). This is the essence of morality. I am not cynical of human nature, just repeating what God says about us in our "flesh".

The story of the rich young ruler is a perfect example. Here a man goes even farther and wishes to do what is necessary to be right with God and the world around him. When he refers to Jesus as "good teacher", Jesus responds "no one is good but God." In other words "good" is the very essence of God Himself. God imputes "goodness" on us from His very being. It is nothing we can extract out of the world's system. The rich young ruler must relinquish all sense of doing the right things and relying on his self sufficiency ("sell all he has and give it away"). He must let go of the notion that "becoming right with God" is based on what he does "right".

Grace, not exchange, is the source of our goodness. It is freely given to us by God as we lay down our carnal mind for a Kingdom mind, as we cease self gratification and revere His glory. Being good is not about morality. It is the transformed nature of all who trust God for our well being and believe He is the author of who we are, not the world around us.

So the next time you think, "I just want to be a good little boy (or girl)", are you settling for what the world can give you for your moral behavior or are you desiring to be transformed by the power of grace????  I know what God wants for you >>>

"ahhh" in the midst of "ugh"

I have posted before how we find Grace in the midst of our "ugh's", BUT we also find grace in the midst of our "ahhh's". Today, late afternoon golf in the midst of God's creative beauty made me stop in awe of how God blesses my soul, no matter how weary I may be. While we don't measure blessing by our circumstances, there is beauty in our surroundings that reminds us God is always smiling on His children. Thank U God !!!!

making sense of "this doesn't make sense"

            

Often life throws us twist and turns that make no sense to us. Situations arise and people treat us in ways we just can't figure out. Sense-making is as basic to human nature as breathing is to our body. Because its so ingrained in our nature it is fundamental to the carnal mind, which strives to make sense of ourself and the world around us through the lenses of self gratification.

This leaves us with two problems. The first is that the only "data" we have for sense-making is what we visibly see, hear, touch, and smell. Circumstantial evidence is the basis for the carnal mind's activities called understanding. The second issue is that the lenses (perceptors) we use are dysfunctional. At a minimum our perceptions are filtered and biased. Moreover, our distortions of the circumstance are different than everyone else's. Thus, sense-making via the carnal mind when the world is not treating us as we would like leaves us frustrated, fearful, disappointed, shameful, unworthy, depressed, etc.

However, those whose life has been transformed by the Cross can make sense of themselves and the world around them via a Kingdom mind. Remember, the Kingdom mind understands through the lenses of faith. That is, the Kingdom mind trusts that God is active in our lives and that the evidence of what is really happening is what He says about us and Himself. Paul says it this way, "we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal." (II Corinthians 4)

What does this look like in practice? When someone attacks us and won't explain, when situations work against our wishes and we have "done everything right," when we trust someone deeply and they trash our heart, and so on ... what should be our response. The Kingdom mind informs us that God cares about us (I Peter 5), He is working out all things for good (Romans 8), He is working in us both to will and do for HIS good pleasure (Philippians 2), and so forth. A good question to ask ourself when we are experiencing such headwinds in life is, "what does God really want for us? how does He view our well-being?"

The answer is sobering. We desire to be in control, self-sufficient, and demand our rights - God's will is that we rest in Him, depend on Him, trust in His provision and see all of this as our privilege. The truth is God is all powerful, He is having His way with us because He loves us, and no matter what it looks like, its for our good!! In this we can understand all circumstances in our life and we do not ever have to angst over the feeling "this doesn't make sense!"

certainly worth pondering ........