Chapter 5: Love’s Call – and Love’s Calling
Lest we be intimidated by the conversation about the sacrificial nature of love, Bishop Curry seeks to offer reflection on the necessity, nature, and practice of love of self. He addresses the concern: “If I open the door to love’s call, will I end up the doormat?” (95) And he does this by talking about vocation.
The call of God is “the love that bids us welcome … a call to become the true you. Not a doormat. The true you. Not an imitation of someone else. The true you: someone made in the image of God, deserving of and receiving love” (95).
How does Bishop Curry anchor his own stories of vocation?
Where does your story of vocation intersect with his as it’s told over these two chapters?
Bishop Curry talks about how love of others refines our concept and love of self, writing, “Perhaps loving others saves us from the confusion, the frustration, and ultimately the neurosis that comes when we try to center the world around ourselves. Or perhaps it allows us to step outside the self enough to see ourselves with some distance, for a better perspective on what’s missing. Or maybe when loving ourselves is hard, practicing loving others strengthens the muscle enough to turn the force inward” (96-97).
How would you describe the relationship between love of others and love of self?
When has the work of loving others helped to redefine your own sense of self?
Bishop Curry talks about a “dark journey of the night” which helped him to choose a more life-giving way.
When have you encountered such a dark night of the soul in your own life? What did it teach you about love or life?
What do you think about the quote from Bishop Barbara Harris on page 109?
What is a helpful practice that cultivates honesty in you about yourself and your relationships with others?
How would you describe where you are in your own journey of vocation today?
Chapter 6: It’s Not Easy
Not wishing us to get discouraged by necessary struggle, Bishop Curry reminds us that our work is to plant seeds of goodness in the world. He quotes Benjamin Elijah Mays, “Faith is taking your best step and leaving the rest to God.”
What are the practices that keep you taking your best step?
What are the practices that keep you leaving the rest to God?
Bishop Curry writes, “Our job is to do our job in God’s great movement of love in the world.” How does he illustrate this?
How do you understand your own job in God’s great movement of love in the world at this time?
When have you been surprised by the growth of a seed you planted?
What sort of harvest would you most love to live to see?
