Embracing Weakness: An Investigation of the Role of Weakness in Spiritual Growth
Adversity awakens people to the value of weakness and its role in spiritual growth. Qualitative research was conducted to ascertain ways in which adversity impacts spiritual growth. Semi-structured interviews exploring the lives of 12 mature Christians examined how God worked through adversity to br...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2020
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| In: |
Journal of spiritual formation & soul care
Year: 2020, Volume: 13, Issue: 2, Pages: 262-284 |
| Further subjects: | B
adversity
B Discipleship B Spiritual Growth B Spiritual Maturity B theology of weakness B spiritual transformation |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Adversity awakens people to the value of weakness and its role in spiritual growth. Qualitative research was conducted to ascertain ways in which adversity impacts spiritual growth. Semi-structured interviews exploring the lives of 12 mature Christians examined how God worked through adversity to bring depth. Three primary categories of spiritual transformation emerged: (1) Awareness of self, humanity, God, and God’s grace; (2) Openness to engage tension as a catalyst of growth, in accepting and extending grace to others, and in partnering with God; and (3) Realism about the time, process, and pain involved in spiritual growth. Through crises, patterns of self-reliance fail and are exposed, awakening believers to the limits and fallenness of human life in such a way that they gain a greater appreciation for the role weakness plays in catalyzing dependence on God in everyday life leading to deeper spiritual maturity. |
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| ISSN: | 2328-1030 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of spiritual formation & soul care
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/1939790920958681 |