Preconceived Notions

   At least two things intersect in my thoughts this morning. Let's see where they lead.

   The Scripture reading is from Matthew 13 and includes this portion (from The Message):

   "We've known him since he was a kid; he's the carpenter's son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?"

   These are folks from Jesus hometown, Nazareth, talking about a man that they knew firsthand. A man that was familiar to them and that they presumed to know, because of His physical presence among them.

   Yesterday Tropical Storm Beryl passed over our island, so it was a rainy and windy day, a good day to stay inside and watch a movie. A friend had recommended "The Way" and so we watched. The main character undertakes a pilgrimage, and, along the way, meets up and travels with three others. When he meets each of the others, an idea forms in his mind about each, but as they travel, those ideas change, and at the end, relationships form that supersede the original. In one scene from the film, all four are walking through a vineyard. They are all walking on this journey in the same direction, but the director has them each on a different row. They are in close proximity to each other, going the same way, but each on a different path. They each state a reason for taking the long walking trip, and express it to the others, but these are only a means to an end, a way to find themselves.

   I have ideas in my life, notions that have built up over the years. These can have a tendency to limit me in some way, but I cling to them anyway. They can refer to God, to Jesus, to the church, to the Bible. They can be about my life, my relationships, my children, my work. They can be about how I am supposed to be and act. They can be correct or false.

   Have I allowed preconceived notions from the past to cloud my judgments in the present? Have I used the phrase "that is just how it is" to keep me in the same rut on the road, or am I open to let God show me different ideas and paths?

   The folks in Jesus' hometown thought they knew the man that stood before them to talk. The travelers on the pilgrimage thought they knew at least a little about their fellow walkers, but they could not see the souls and hearts of each other.

   God, help me not to be satisfied with preconceived notions, but show me the truth, about myself first of all, and then about others.