The Gateway to Genuine Courage.

We “love one another” {Jn. 15:12-13, and 17} in the Family of Faith by caring for each other and connecting with each other— spiritually, emotionally, and above all, relationally.  Every human being is hardwired for two things, every man, every woman, every child who’s ever walked this Earth.  Love and belonging.  And when these two pervasive, and God-given needs, are not met ...pain is the lasting result.

In learning from Jesus how to love like He does, we might start with something as simple as making honesty and openness a priority in relationships— by tearing off the masks and dropping our defenses.  It’s a rather difficult proposition for most people, I know.  Yet as counterintuitive as it seems, and as frightening as it feels {and it does, on both counts}, as author and statistical researcher Brene Brown discovered: vulnerability is the gateway to courage, to showing up and being seen, to living authentically as one uniquely made in Abba’s image {Imago Dei}.  And not just ‘allowing’ others to do the same but actually making the ‘space’ for it relationally, a safe and trusted space for their hearts to be known.  That’s how we learn to love.  And to love like Jesus loves is something we must learn, as He pours out within our hearts more and more of Himself and more and more of His love {Rom. 5:5}.

Listen to this Rabbinic commentary on Micah 6:8 and how it speaks to the proposition of loving in a way that doesn’t come naturally to any of us.  “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.  Do justly, now.  Love mercy, now.  Walk humbly, now.  You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”  Neither are we free to abandon it.

You see, vulnerability isn’t just ‘letting it all hang out,’ or telling our really hard Story, our traumatic Narrative, to anyone who will listen.  We tell our Stories to those who have earned the right to hear them.  Just blasting out our intimate details to any and every willing ear is arrogance masquerading as ‘authenticity.’  It might be neediness, approbation lust, a desire to shock people, any number of things, but it’s not genuine courage borne out of vulnerability.  Genuine bravery, real spiritual and relational courage, is owning our Stories while loving ourselves through the process.  Yes, love means learning to love ourselves as well {self-hatred is corrosive to our hearts and lives in the Master}, learning to accept that in Christ and through Christ we are enough.  We are loved by the Majesty on High, the God of this Universe, where we are and as we are.  We are fearful and wonderful creatures: the fingerprint of the Father for all the world to see.

May the Lord of All Life be magnified as we learn to live for Him and from Him.  Amen.

HJC	Ric Webb  |  Shepherd Heart’s Journey Community 9621 Tall Timber Blvd. |  Little Rock, AR 72204 t +1.501.455.0296
hjcommunity.org
Heart’s Journey – Live Generously and Love Graciously