God has been surprising me lately with conversations. He has given me some very good and deeper conversations over the past few weeks. Conversations that have been bringing members of the community closer together. It is amazing how superficial many conversations we have with one another happen to be. Understanding one another takes these deeper conversations. One of the bigger surprises is realizing that we are all very different and yet deep inside the same. How if you get to the core of a person, you can find that what you believe in your core and what they believe in their core are the same.
I hope that what has started in me these past few weeks continues on. This bible passage which I have heard many times recently at the UR has become my favorite bible passage.
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:34-40
Some of the things that I have been doing these last few days include celebrating a friends birthday, playing frisbee golf for the first time, and working on a new web project.
Lastly, the truth to why my postings have slowed. It is not because I don't have time or are lazy. The truth is I am afraid. I am afraid that people will begin to know me. I mean the true me not just the bits I allow them to see. I am slowly realizing however that letting people know me may be the best thing for me. Especially, spiritually. Which brings me back to people's core beliefs. If they are the same as mine then the details of me won't matter because the core is what is truly important. If that makes sense?
Striving to Love,
Digital M
I agree with being afraid that people will know the TRUE Ethan.. In the past I was more afraid! I put faith and hope in the fact that the decisions I make need to reflect Jesus, not the world. So when people see the real me, they see love, kindness, forgiveness... Each day I feel it becomes easier to let people into my life a little. In a way I never imagined.
ReplyDeleteI think that opening ourselves up a little is kind of an indirect accountability situation. Not to only post the PC or good things that happen, but when a bad day comes, posting that and knowing there is a community there to love you in those places as well.
as i was reading what ethan had to say, i was reminded of something that i heard about the resurrection awhile back. i can't remember exactly where i heard this, but someone once told me that the stone of jesus' tomb was not rolled away so that he could get out, rather it was rolled away so that we could get in – to see that he had in fact risen from death. and i think that we can apply that same kind of thinking today. i think that we need to roll away the stone that covers our own hurts, brokenness, etc. (the stone that essentially covers who we really are) before others can actually be invited in. and this may make us vulverable, but when received without judgment (which is what we as followers of jesus are called to do) it will change our lives and how we interact with others forever. hopefully that makes sense.
ReplyDelete