Be Brave
That might be the only way to describe the current emotional climate of the world. Rightfully so I suppose. We’ve managed to get hurt and scar others in return. And we’re so terrified of our feelings that we go to borderline ridiculous extremes to make sure we don’t get hurt and feel pain.
When something good comes along we have a nasty habit of turning tail and sprinting off in the opposite direction. Maybe something good looks like grace, mercy, and intimacy? Redemption; even. I’m going to refer to a previous written ramble of mine when I ponder just how far we will go to manage our pain. “If I separate the sex from the emotion and the cost of intimacy, it gives me a pass”. ‘If I flaunt myself with such exaggeration, surely then my outside will heal my scared and scarred insides.’ That runs counter to the idea of cleaning the inside of the cup, and the outside will shine consequently. Maybe it’s a western thing, maybe it’s a capitalist undertone and it could be hardwired into our DNA: we are great at selling things. We make neat, tidy, and instagrammable versions of ourselves to sell to the highest bidder. Send it right? What do you have to lose after all?
The scary truth: maybe everything that matters.
Maybe there is supposed to be a cost. Maybe there has always been a cost. Life requires life to live. Maybe risk was required. Just a thought.
When the money gets touch-id’d away, when the picture’s sum total of double taps doesn’t satisfy, and when the turtles choke on the straws…what do we have left? (please refer to that whole bit about intimacy, grace, redemption and the most important-love)
Whereas the dopamine deficient soul seeks to disconnect emotion from intimacy for the sake of temporarily escaping depression; the healthy individual embraces the uncomfortable and unwavering gaze of Love. Grace and mercy hold unwavering eye-contact. And that’s terrifying. It’s unnerving because Grace and Mercy speak into to fear and brokenness in a cool, steady, and unwavering voice. And they say, “you can’t make me leave.”
Knowing, listening, creating, inviting, mending.
The eyes are windows to the soul. A cute and unfortunately; undervalued sentiment. How broad? How vague and unfulfilling? Satisfaction may be the death of desire, but fulfillment is intimacy well-kept and nurtured.
It’s entirely possible that sex and intimacy go hand in hand, that health, worth, identity, community and love all are essential to the sustaining of one another. They’re a package deal. The question that remains might just be, “are you going to be brave?”
Are you? Are you going to risk that pain and hurt for love, are you going to pay the price of intimacy that brings about healing and wholeness in the end? Is it worth the wait? We as prodigal’s get to choose where we want our treasure and our heaven. We get it now in this moment of our own doing, or we can wait for the treasure that is being known fully for all eternity. We are going to kneel before the Cross or put Him on it. We’re going to crown Him with glory like He deserves, or we are going to crucify him for what we deserve. In choosing to become love now, we pave a road that leads to the source. This Jesus guy was awfully brave and awfully loving in walking up a hill for us. He didn’t run, not because he didn’t want to; I’m sure hanging from a piece of wood isn’t your ideal Friday. But it was in this moment that He was looking at the future to you, your kids, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your coworker, and He was saying, “I’m going to be brave in this moment for you so you can life for me in freedom”.
At the end of the story, we have to make a decision. We have to work really hard to run from Jesus and get Him out of our lives. We have to drop our eyes in shame and run from His arms. Or-we have to fight really hard to surrender to get out of our lives to get Jesus.
Don’t waste anyone’s time being terrified of your feelings. Don’t be a shrinking violet. Plant that thing on top of a hill and watch how it grows, and who finds it worth the hike to admire. Anyone worth the time of day will make the trek to watch it grow. People will stand in line for a chain coffee shop to open and serve them burnt beans. Someone; who knows your worthiness, will hike the hill for the joy of watching the sun hit that little project you got growing. Someone is falling for you on the walk up, not just when they get the view.
Be Brave
Life-lived unfolds as a wake
Present enduring and future joyous radiance
A sum total of roads traveled and paths traversed
At it’s finest when we are brave-and love is preferred.
Nick
