I’m uncomfortable in the public-prophet role.

I love to encourage others, not accuse them of being even worse than they previously imagined.  I mean, I like ANY impact in ministry, because it makes Dave’sFlesh feel worthy, but encouragement is so-much-more fun for me than accusation.  I am much-more comfortable as the chief confessor, than as the chief accuser.  Unless.  I’m mentoring someone one-on-one, know them well, know they are humble enough to welcome accusation, and feel pretty sure they would be helped by confessing sin to which they are blind.  Then I can be ruthless, knowing they need and want my help.  Hard for me to be ruthless in public posts.  Whyzat?

I’m guessing because I don’t do conflict well.  My skin is not as thick as my flesh would like folks to believe.  I don’t like adversarial relationships.  All my life I’ve worked hard to be on the good side of EVERYone.  I don’t like criticism.  I like admiration, and even more — being envied.   I’m especially averse to ridicule.  So I work hard to avoid criticism/ridicule and that causes me to be uncomfortable in a public-prophet role.  And.

Humble people welcome exposure to their blindness, but there are few of those in this world, outside the Church, or inside.  And.  If I were a humble man, I wouldn’t be so conflict-avoidant, criticism-avoidant, ridicule-avoidant.  However Jesus seems intent on nudging me outside my comfort zone, against my flesh’s better judgment, into occasional Saturday posts that are scary for me, as the chief accuser.

— Dave McCarty, GospelFriendships, the reluctant prophet, sometimes

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