{"id":34075,"date":"2023-11-14T03:54:24","date_gmt":"2023-11-14T11:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=34075"},"modified":"2023-11-13T03:56:16","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T11:56:16","slug":"if-at-first-you-dont-succeed-try-and-try-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/if-at-first-you-dont-succeed-try-and-try-again\/","title":{"rendered":"If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have not failed. I\u2019ve just found 10,000 ways that won\u2019t work.[1]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

One of the archetypes Daniel Lieberman highlights is the Journey. It\u2019s true that as humans we connect deeply to this idea of an epic journey or even seeing life as a journey. This is evidenced by the sheer volume of vocabulary that exists to talk about this. Persistence. Perseverance. Grit. Resilience. What doesn\u2019t kill you makes you stronger. Keep on keeping on. And my personal favorite from the very philosophical Dory of Finding Nemo fame, just keep swimming.<\/p>\n

The Journey is an enduring theme of human existence. It\u2019s also a foundational virtue to us as Christians, usually called perseverance (because that sounds a lot more theological than \u201cjust keep swimming.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Hebrews 10:36 (NIV): “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”<\/em><\/p>\n

2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NIV): “And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Romans 5:3-4 (NIV): “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”<\/em><\/p>\n

This theme continues in more recent Christian narrative, such as the famous Pilgrims\u2019 Progress, the famous allegory written by John Bunyan. Even more modern, perhaps you have read A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson. He explains the Christian journey so beautifully when he says, \u201cPerseverance does not mean \u2018perfection.\u2019 It means that we keep going. We do not quit when we find that we are not yet mature and there is a long journey still before us.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

What can we learn from Daniel Lieberman in order to persevere and journey through this life well? His message is essentially an encouragement to integrate the conscious and the unconscious parts of our minds. In fact, he thinks this is so important that he says, \u201cThe unconscious is powerful and dangerous. We shouldn\u2019t ignore it, but we shouldn\u2019t uncritically embrace it or surrender to it, either. The goal is to find balance, to bring unconscious contents into consciousness in a way that doesn\u2019t overwhelm the ego. Becoming whole is perhaps the most important thing we do in life.\u201d[3]<\/a> For Lieberman, an important part of this is to accept the darker parts of ourselves without judgement. Uncomfortable or scary as it may be, acknowledging our inner ugliness helps to remove its power over us. When we\u2019re no longer wasting energy on suppressing those dark parts of ourselves, we actually have more energy to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and allow God to transform our character.<\/p>\n

This brings to mind the work of Marc Alan Schelske in his excellent book, The Wisdom of Your Heart.<\/em> He writes, \u201cThe starting point of understanding your emotions is to attend. Without judgment or the need to explain, you inventory what is apparently true of you. You might even ask the Holy Spirit to help you see accurately.\u201d[4]<\/a> This gentle invitation to self-awareness echoes the Psalmist who prays, \u201cSearch me,\u00a0God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way\u00a0in me, and lead me\u00a0in the way everlasting.\u201d (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV)<\/p>\n

It is up to each individual to apply these principles. Lieberman suggests regular meditation as a practical step toward integrated the conscious and the unconscious. Contemplative prayer and, as best as I understand them, the Ignatian spiritual exercises seem to flow in the same direction. I\u2019m curious to hear if you all have any tricks or practices that you use regularly to work toward integration.<\/p>\n

On my own journey, I was recently given a wonderful nugget of wisdom that I\u2019ve used over and over to attend without judgment. When something in my past comes to mind and evokes shame or regret, instead of beating myself up I gratefully acknowledge that I have grown and were I in the same situation today I would make a different choice. It may not seem like a radical difference, but for me it has been profound. As Lieberman describes personal growth, and I will conclude with this quote, \u201cAlthough transcendence transforms our inner world, its outer effects may be minimal. There\u2019s a Zen proverb that says, \u201cBefore enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.\u201d The modern version might be \u201cdo the dishes, drive to work,\u201d but the point is clear. Many of the changes that occur will be invisible. Nevertheless, they may still be profound.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

_____________________________________________________<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> \u201cThomas Alva Edison,\u201d Oxford Reference, accessed September 30, 2023, https:\/\/www.oxfordreference.com\/display\/10.1093\/acref\/9780191826719.001.0001\/q-oro-ed4-00003960<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction<\/em> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021), 125.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Daniel Lieberman, Spellbound (Dallas, TX: BenBella Books, 2022), Kindle location 1635.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Marc Alan Schelske, The Wisdom of Your Heart (Eastbourne, England: David C Cook, 2017) 251.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Daniel Lieberman, Spellbound (Dallas, TX: BenBella Books, 2022), Kindle location 3474.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have not failed. I\u2019ve just found 10,000 ways that won\u2019t work.[1] One of the archetypes Daniel Lieberman highlights is the Journey. It\u2019s true that as humans we connect deeply to this idea of an epic journey or even seeing life as a journey. This is evidenced by the sheer volume of vocabulary that exists […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2489,2156],"class_list":["post-34075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp02","tag-lieberman","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34076,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34075\/revisions\/34076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}