From "Me" to "We" part 3

 

When we talk about relationships to ourselves, God, and others, we are diving and dwelling in questions of the soul.  Our souls are shy, we often keep our opinions to ourselves or when we share our ideas quickly apologize or feel vulnerable.  At our center and core we were created for relationship.  In Genesis 2:18, God says, “It is not good for humans to be alone.”  There was something put into the soup of our souls that needed connections.  Our souls long to be seen by others.  Often, as Parker Palmer says, we speak ourselves into understanding in the presence of others.  That is, when we feel safe to share honestly and authentically and earnestly to someone else, we will say things that can surprise us. 

 

We live with the beautiful tension that you matter as an individual ~ you are created in God’s image.  And…AND…it is not all about you!  We tell ourselves stories about ourselves and OTHERS all the time.  We hold these stories tightly.  More and more we realize that we don’t always know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth ~ either about ourselves or others.  We all experience and encounter life through filters and frames that we’ve constructed and have been given to us.  Ian Morgan Cron quotes a friend of his, “You need to give up the old idea that you know what just happened.”  Re-read that quote…let it sink, simmer, sing to your soul.

 

Faith helps break us out of our need to be right and righteous, moves us toward the humanness and core that we are a mystery to ourselves and others.  Your soul longs to be seen by others and by you.  May this invitation today help you realize that there is more to you than could ever be explored or written on a piece of paper.  And if that is true about you, how much more for those you encounter every day.  So may you have curiosity, courage, and love to be the you, even the you you hide, as God calls your name today.  Amen.