2P8225 Spiritual Formation an online course

Session 3 Big Idea #2 Knowing God in Your Gut

Gut Level Knowledge We learn how to connect through our experiences of connecting (with attachment figures) Head knowledge is a different knowing than gut level knowledge, and the two ways of knowing can be disconnected. Head knowledge = knowing about Gut level knowledge = knowing how, or knowing by experience Our gut level knowledge of relationships operates the same way with God as it does with human relationships. We “know more than we can say.” “…I don’t want to go through that again…”

Gut Level Knowledge and Emotions Gut level knowledge is holistic, nonverbal, connected more directly to emotion. Emotions are the non-conscious, automatic way we evaluate the meaning of our experiences. It is processed automatically and outside our direct control – we cannot manipulate the meaning we assign to events, so they reveal what we really believe. If we want to be transformed at our core, then our emotional responses must be our starting point. Example: dating…

Gut Level Knowledge and Emotions Example: dating… What people say they want in a mate does not always match up with what attracts them in the moment. Their conscious ideal does not match their gut level knowledge. Dr. Hall and myself have a common counselling experience – people who are looking for acceptance and who fear rejection are often involved with rejecting partners. Their two systems of knowing don’t match up; and the gut-level way of knowing usually drives what we do.

Gut Level Knowledge and Emotions The same thing can be observed in speed-dating; individuals come up with descriptions of the kind of person they want to marry – warm, sensitive, caring, committed, responsible. And then they find themselves immediately attracted to someone very different – creative and passionate, but irresponsible and self-centred. There are two different stories being told – one with head knowledge, one with gut level knowledge. The point is to realize that head knowledge and gut level knowledge need to be integrated for us to thoroughly love God and others.

Two God-Stories We can develop the same kind of disconnects with God as with the dating example… We have the idea we should always feel close to God. We should always trust God and never doubt him. But we DO struggle…we DO feel abandoned at times…he DOES seem far away at times. The more congruent (integrated, in agreement with one another) our stories become, the more we are growing. When we discover a disconnect between our God-stories, we experience dissonance… Recognize this as an opportunity to be transformed! Learn to pay attention to the dissonance. Tune in to both levels of story in your life. Pay attention to your gut level story; listen to what your emotions are telling you, and work with the message of your emotions. Seek to replace dissonance with congruence.

Incongruent Stories We know this dissonance by various other names… Shallowness, Hypocrisy Keeping up appearances Lack of commitment Carnality This is why many people leave the church – their verbal God-story is on target but their gut level experiences and their relationships don’t match up with the verbal story.