Initiation

Initiation & the Wound

I'm sitting in my room on a Saturday afternoon, the kids are upstairs calling out for daddy, my wife is at work, i'm working through the usual Saturday chors and general house duties, while i manage to get 15-20 minutes to read some more Wild at heart, and come across the section: How God initiates a man....
And i'm on the edge of the bed so moved i can't sit still, i'm upset and there's this beating in my chest and weight on my spirit asking God : am i a man, am i the man you wanted me to become? Will you initiate me jesus?  What is my name Lord? 

'who can give a man this, his own name? God alone for no one but God sees who the man is' Mcdonald

The history of a man's relationship with God is the story of how God calls him out takes him on a journey and gives him his true name.  Most of us have thought it was the story of how God sits on his throne waiting to whack a man broadside when he steps out of line.

Initiation involves a journey and a series of tests through which we discover our real name and true place in the story. 

A bunch of us have been misinterpreting life and what God is doing for a long time....

What are you teaching me here God? What issues in my heart are you trying to raise through this? What is it that you want me to see?
What are you askig me to let go of? 
(from pages 104-105 in Wild at Heart)

God begins by breaking you down.  
The spiritual life begins with the acceptance of the wounded self" 
So God goes after the false self of ourselves and takes away our false identity to restablish it with a true one: 
Just think about it: jesus at times went straight for the juggular, he didn't beat around with some guys asking him questions and what they need to do to have eternal life. 

What establishes you as a man: your accomplishments, your gifts and talents your bank account and possessions, your job role and level of authority, where u go on holidays... ???

Each time God calls a man out to do something he renames him. Why is that? Imagine walking in life going hey last week u knew me as ben but God's renamed me benjamin: son of his right hand, i'm his right hand man, the doer the fixer. 
Imagine God whispering in your spirit: this is your name, this is what i call you: .... 

Wound:
It does matter, it matters deeply to God, he's peeved about it and he like any father is in the busienss of restoring his son to his rightful position. 

A man broken in and on the path of rebulding rather than self wallowing and continual self deprecation, is a strong man

The way in which God heals our wound is a deeply personal process. Makes sense really as every wound is personal and unique. 

Healing never happens outside of intimacy with christ. The healing of our wound flows out of our union with him.

It's important to grieve our wound, it is the only honest thing to do. For in grieving we admit the truth- that we were hurt by someone we loved. That we lost something very dear and it hurt us very much.

Then simply let yourself be loved by God and let God the Father, father you. 
Father says: your heart is good. Not perverted evil and cheap, but good. 

Out of the wound is where a man's genius is:
It become a place of strength and you realise what u have to offer the community. 

Don't let satan take u off the field and accuse you of not being worthy, capable, trustworthy, competent or sinful.