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George Constanza & the Art of the Missed Opportunity

George Constanza & the Art of the Missed Opportunity


Perhaps I watch too much Seinfeld. Ok, I definitely do; but I learn a lot from George. In the episode “The Comeback” George gets mocked in a meeting and doesn’t think of his perfect comeback until he’s driving home from work. The rest of the episode chronicles George’s painfully unsuccessful attempts to deliver his counter-insult.

Here’s how George recently got me thinking about spiritual conversations and why I miss out on some vital ones. George missed his moment in the conversation because first of all he was too preoccupied with himself. He was removed from the flow of conversation. Fear for failure, a discomfort with conflict and simply an inability to laugh at himself also seem to play into his missed opportunities. Again and again his fear of looking stupid boomerangs back and turns into self-sabotage.

George’s reasons for missing his comeback are eerily similar to some of the reasons I miss critical spiritual conversations, especially in the context of my small group.

A small group is often people’s most natural space for spiritual conversations in their week. It’s a space where spiritual conversations should be seized rather than missed.

Do you think spiritual conversations get missed in your groups? If so, why? What are the reasons specific to your church community?

I’d love to hear. And, thanks so much for the posts last week.

Next week we’ll look at some practical ways to pursue robust spiritual conversations.

 

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