My dad made a comment regarding yesterday’s blog post:
again, wow…so true…so many of your readers agree how easy it is to be open..in print…from a safe distance…
which makes Jesus coming to look for us & then finding us at ground level so much more amazing than we already think it is...no safety net for Him (unlike those we offer trapeze artists)…just face to face…
is that why we’d rather sometimes interact with our theology than Jesus, Himself, the God-man? i wonder…
My dad is profound. But I expected nothing less.
He suggests that for the same reason it’s easier to interact with those across the computer screen, perhaps it is easier to interact with our theology than it is to interact with the person of Jesus.
Easier to know about Him than to know Him.
Easier to read the Bible than to let the words sink in, affect me, change me.
Easier to listen to a sermon than to be obedient.
Easier to sing a song of worship than to live a life of worship.
But that isn’t our goal, is it? And our goal with blogging is to create real, vital and authentic community, right?
We want to jump off the web page and into the real world of each other.
So how to we get those to intersect? How do we move from words in shades of grey on a computer screen to hugs in real life? How do we move from hymns at church to true, heart worship?
I think the answer to both is the same.
We take risks.
I know, it sounds risky, doesn’t it?
With others, with friends, we put our hearts out there (vulnerable…) and form friendships. We start a conversation on twitter, then we laugh at each other’s jokes. We comment on each other’s blogs, we have that connection (you know what I’m talking about – that “click”) We, I know — super risky, exchange phone numbers and talk. We take a risk. If we live in the same state, we might meet for dinner or coffee.
We make what is a head knowledge a heart knowledge.
But it’s scary. What if the “click” isn’t there in real life? What if she figures out who I really am and decides she doesn’t like me?
And with the Lord the risk is allowing Him to know us as much as we seek to know Him. David took a risk when he asked God to search his heart, to try him, to know him. We confess to Him. We let Him walk around in our messy, sometimes dusty living room of a heart. God wants to sit on our sofas and live in community with us.
It’s risky. Because if we do that, God might just really find out who we are.
And then, who knows…we might fall head over heels in love with Him.
Everything worth living for takes some sort of a risk.
So jump.
Into friendship.
Into God.
But jump.
Do you agree? How do we get our “theology” and our “intimacy” to intersect?
And these are two lovely women who both took risks on me over the past couple years. And now we are true, real friends (plus it helps that we live in the same county). Elizabeth and Ashleigh.
Sarah, these last two posts have hit me–a few months back the Lord opened my eyes to the wall I’d be so very carefully constructing. http://theaspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-start-at-42000.html I’ve been trying to be more vulnerable, take more risks in friendships. I am STILL finding that I’m having the most real conversations through Facebook messages and blog posts, but there’s been progress. He is healing my wounds and teaching me the balance between keeping my heart open and guarding my “wellspring-of-life” heart. I’m inspired to stick my heart out there just a bit more after reading these posts, so thank you.
Sarah,
I love my friends. I cannot imagine life without them. I appreciate the internet,blogs,twitter, and facebook to keep in contact with people that I don’t live near. But the face to face…I cherish.
I love the “real” about you. You make me smile. Thanks for the video…it helps to make you real even though you are in California and I’m in Texas. I am assured that I would really “like” you and hang out with you if given the chance. You bless me, sweet girl.
Wow…thank you for sharing. I love that you are real and honest. It is easier to be open in the cyber world. I find it hard for me to be open and honest in the real world. My husband is probably the only person that truly knows me. He konws my inner most secrets, my passions, my desires, my faults, my short comings, my humor, etc. It is hard to let a lot of that stuff out to others. How much do you trust with other people/friends? One of my closest friends – I know that I can’t trust her with sensitive information. I know that when I have in the past, she has shared that information with others. I often wonder why do I consider her a close friend and remind myself that ‘she’ isn’t trustworthy. I find that at my age (34) most women are already settled into their life. They have their friends and don’t have room for much more.
I am not sure how to intersect theology and intimacy. And, I am scared to do it.
Good morning, Sarah. Thank you for sharing–and loving this series about real and honesty and how much we miss of each other by not taking those risks. Thank you for sharing and letting the Lord speak through you to encourage, and convict me. It’s a good question to if we were more willing to be risky with our hearts about Jesus–maybe we’d show Jesus in the dirty, nitty gritty of sharing our hearts and lives in our relationships and friendships. God bless, Shannon
I love meeting other writers at conferences who I’ve formed a relationship with online.
And like one of the ladies in the vid said, you already know one another so well online that you just click when you meet. Love it! What I’d love is to meet some of the readers of my blog and online novel who are not writers, but have corresponded with me. Maybe one day…I can’t wait!
Thanks Sarah! Such fun visiting your blog.
Although I have no blog of my own to speak of. . .I look forward to coming here and a few others daily–to read inspiring words, to contemplate ideas. . .at a time where I am working on myself and seeking a more intimate relationship with Jesus. I have friends here in sunny California. . .but right now, it seems like my quest is one they aren’t familiar with–I look forward to the questions they will ask me to ponder, and I reflect on my relationship with Him. I don’t know how I came to find your site, but so thankful He led me here! It is easier to be here than take the risk to let others know where I’m at. . .because maybe they’ve already been here, or don’t want to go here–and then I’d have to make decisions I’m not sure I’m ready to make. Hmm. . . .
Context. I love it. Because let’s face it you can read her blog and become connected. But to SEE and TOUCH and SMELL (and hug) is confirmation that her kids too just eat the ketchup bread of the cheeseburger! And when together she can sit with your stuff while you take your daughter potty. And you can share your face when you talk about your dreams and heartache. Nothing can replace BEING together.
You know. It is interesting…I never really made “friends” with other bloggers. I mentioned in my last comment that it’s mostly (if not all) people who know me who visit me. A couple years ago, I would leave drive by comments at various sites, but that’s all it was. Now, the very few sites I frequent, I comment at consistently and I share a little more then I did before. Now, I invest a little more time…AND just last week I invited a blogger to coffee. But I extended the invitation b/c I wanted to get to know her…not because we know each other. Haha! I feel like I’m doing it backwards! But it’s a risk, nonetheless, right?
So head smart vs. heart smart…all I can go back is the one thing that made a difference for ME.
I had to “need” Him.
There was a time, truthfully, I didn’t need Him. I had a great career, a house, a picture perfect marriage, two gorgeous kids, I lived in OC…what more could I ask for!
Well, all it took was one decision..and the life *I* had built for 7 years came crashing down.
I needed Him.
And when I needed him, I got to know Him and what I got to know was beyond my comprehension. And I loved Him. With a heart, not just the knowledge of loving Him.
I actually have the opposite problem. I am ok with being (mostly) transparent, real, honest and open with ppl IRL, but on my blogs, I either post a rosy side or very NOT rosy side, and I don’t think everyone I don’t know needs to know all my crap. Not that I’m not transparent. I think I’m too open. But I was thinking about how I relate to God, in this way. And I’m too busy. Too busy to dig deep. Then I think of other relationships, and they’re too busy for me. And that hurts. It sucks. And just now, I get how God must feel about me. Rejected. When all along, I have felt/feel just a tad bit rejected by Him. Hmmmm. I wish it was easy, but from where I stand, it just seems like one more thing to add to my workload.
I love the section about the dusty living room of my heart. God just wants to come in & sit on the sofa. And stick around. Getting to know me (even though He already does, unconditionally). The real me. The scared me. The unfaithful me. The forgetful me. The disobedient me. Why? Why does He care about me when I don’t?
It’s a lifelong process. Getting to know God. To absorb all the He offers. And to SHARE it. With others around me. How can I not? So many dusty hearts in this world. So many broken people. So many with no hope. God repairs all. No matter what.
Come on in & have a seat, God.
I just had to smile at “Part Last”
Hi Sarah,
Great post!!! I totally would rather learn about the Lord, than know Him. I am lazy & disobedient. These last 2 posts are making me think about what changes I need to make, actually I know the changes, but now they are in my face!! The funny thing is I want to know Him, I do not want to be lazy or disobedient, but it’s SCARY.
I once climbed these huge rocks, climbing was easy, but when I got to the top I literally froze, I could not jump, I could not make my legs propel me off the rocks and into the water. We were with a group of friends and they were all waiting for me to jump, I was embarrassed, but could not make myself jump. Finally one of my friends husbands had to climb up the rocks and push me. I was mortified.
I am on top of the rocks and you are pushing me. Thank you.
Love-Oly
Thank you for crossing over into the most practical face-to-face setting we can get as bloggers. It is becoming easier and easier to remove oneself from the ‘real world’ and enter a virtual world where words are chosen carefully, thoughts can be pre-planned, and reactions watered down. It saddens me how today those who are authentic are almost marginalized because it is not the social norm. No, the social norm is to not offend anyone, use certain terms, and adopt a ‘whatever is right for you i have to respect’ mentality. I, too, have been working on my authenticity which is very scary and a HUGE risk. I’ve been challenged by others’ authenticity as well. So thanks for being real and honest. It’s an encouraging example!