What am I here to disrupt?
Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 12:12PM 
Do you consider yourself a disruptive person? Do you even consider being disruptive a good thing?
...Not obnoxious, not pursuing an agenda at all costs, not combative; yet stirring, compelling. Not acting out of a wound, but acting in order to heal.
Here's the point: If you're going to make a sustainable difference, your presence in some way may well be disquieting to others. It may come through the choices you make that break pattern with the unquestioned status quo. It may come through the questions you ask that challenge current embedded assumptions.
But sooner or later, because your presence is disruptive, someone will notice and find a deeper and truer life because you stirred something in them. The clothes in the laundry will only come clean if the agitator in the washing machine is working.
You can use the following question to help you focus your disruptive mission:
"How can I disrupt the ______________________ [in the arena I hope to influence, or kind of people I'm most capable of reaching?]"
As a writer answering that question, I ask:
"How can I disrupt the damaging assumptions Christians have about their identity?"
And, as a professional musician/artist, I ask: "How can I disrupt the Church's endorsement of mediocrity so that we can offer the world something more remarkable, reflecting the creative brilliance of Jesus himself?"
How would you answer the question?
*The disruptive question originates with Jesus, but can be found in a book called, Disrupt, by Luke Williams.
Reader Comments (8)
Hi Jim,
This is great. I feel like I am *very* disruptive and I never intend to be so. Once in a particular bad situation in a church a woman that I knew only casually approached me basically in private and told me she had a word for me from God. It was that my presence causes a stir. (I'm disruptive.) That as soon as I enter a room there is a stir. She told me that it was the presence of the Lord within me that caused that. She told me that those who have bad intent hate God who is within me. I never forgot that. I find that this "disruptive" quality is something that many people hate without naming. It must be that they hate me and don't even know why exactly. There is a lot of resistance with this even though I say nothing and have no particular attitude. It is part of that unseen spiritual war around us that we can't see but has so much impact. I'm still learning to deal with it.
Great post!
Meredith
Hey Meredith,
Did you feel affirmed by the woman's comment, or uneasy about it? How do you feel about being a disruptive presence now?
I think more of us need to be disruptive -- in order to bring restoration. It's always fueled by love -- yet it can often *feel abrasive to others, even if motivated by love. People will always misunderstand us, sadly.
Hey Jim,
You know, when that lady told me that, I felt like a burden had been lifted off of me and that a mystery was solved. I didn't understand before then why my mere presence somewhere could cause me problems. I didn't understand why although as you said, I was not acting out a wound, was neither pushing nor advocating anything. I was there and I was friendly and accepting of others and it was met with skepticism and hatred really now that I think of it. It is odd to me Jim, because I don't feel that I am judgmental of others at all and I was met with judgement and presumption. It is the inverse of what people believe happen.If someone is being mistreated, others believe that you must have "done" something to deserve it. It's just not true.
I have accepted being disruptive. It is not a choice. I know that it is God within me---the most disruptive force in the universe that makes me disruptive simply by his presence. It has made things more difficult for me---as it does other believers but---God says in the Bible that those who believe in him will be mistreated by others because him. I know that one day we will all be vindicated.
I have *always* known I was different but didn't understand the nature of that difference until she said that.
You know what else? I think I illicit that in a lot of places. A few weeks ago I was in a line at a store and a woman ahead of me gave me a dirty look and then told her friend that I was an expletive. I never met her before and never spoke to her.
Also, I am not offended or hurt anymore by people when they do that. It's sad, but really I don't care anymore.
Meredith :0)
@Meredith: I think having an unnerving presence will, as you say, be a natural outflow of God's work in us. In Jesus, it repelled those whom it needed to, and was a magnet for those who were ready for it.
Hey Jim,
You know...that really resonated with me. I think that I have avoided lots of danger by people who were repelled by God's presence.
Meredith
Hi. I am often a disruptive influence when I challenge the posts or comments people make on facebook. I seem to be unable to resist challenging the people who state things in a legalistic or religious manner. Sometimes they put things about God that are simply not true. I used to feel badly about doing this, but now I don't. I've had all kinds of responses, from being unfriended to people ending up agreeing with me. I don't do it to sound superior, but to help people to live in God's grace and freedom, and to get a revelation of His love and grace.
Sue
@Sue: It's so hard to break through to those fed and fattened on legalism --- it's become their identity. Glad you're bringing freedom.
That's true, Jim. People's identities are wrapped up in their pet doctrines, and they get fearful or angry when these ideals are questioned or challenged. This is very sad.
Jesus said the requirement to seeing the Kingdom is to become like a child, and yet we complicate things so much.
Sue