Let's Be Not Afraid, Together

Avoiding small talk and getting right to the heart of us

I don’t do small talk very well.

Sure, if you want to talk about the weather or what you do for work, I’m in if that’s really want you want to talk about.

But I’d rather talk about your favorite band and why isn’t it Jimmy Eat World? I’d rather ask you what your most embarrassing elementary school memory is and why does it involve either the bus or recess?
How do you spend your free time?
Tell me about your family and the people you love the most.
Let’s talk about books, please!
Oh, you’d rather talk about movies? Amazing. I can’t quote anything, no matter how many times I’ve seen it, but I love The Goonies and Lord of the Rings.

And now.

Who are you? What makes you, you? What do you believe and why? I don’t mind being quiet next to you as you ponder the questions. I hope you’ll do the same when it’s my turn.

But let’s skip the small talk and just dig in. We’ll laugh and challenge each other, and learn together. It will be so amazing!

Societally, I think we tend to shy away from conversations that make us feel vulnerable, and also might put us at odds with someone else.

I’d like to believe that there is a healthy way to communicate about what you believe in and why. And for the love of every book on my shelves (and there are a lot, mind you), let’s not assume that we have all of the right answers and our way is the only way.

Let’s dig in, question everything, and see where we end up.

We may both still think, feel, and believe exactly as we did originally… but what if we don’t? What if we learn something new about the topic, or ourselves?

That would be so cool.

And now, the next time we see each other, we’re bonded. We’ve done something scary together, and that’s being vulnerable and our truest selves right from the beginning.

It will probably be incredibly refreshing.

Getting to the other side of something scary is always relieving and refreshing.

Self high five! We did the thing!

This week at church we dove into Matthew 8:18-22.

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

This message was meant for me. It was absolutely, positively, meant for me and my busy mind.

You see, over the course of the last year, I’ve been searching for someone (anyone!) that thinks, feels, writes and experiences their faith like I do. I’m very community-minded, so having that connection with someone, especially in the creative sense, is something I’m craving.

I’ve come close a few times, but it’s just never quite what my heart needs.

It feels like looking up a movie on Netflix only to discover that it left last month, it’s on no other streaming service, but here are similar recommendations that you may or may not like.

I don’t want the recommendation, thankyouverymuch.
I want what I came in for.

So today, when we were asked if we are the scribe or the son, I felt that.

The scribe was quick to follow Jesus, and Jesus warned him that it wouldn’t be comfortable.

And the son? The son wanted to follow Jesus… but only after all of the details of his life fell into place and then he would be ready. But it’s not about our timing, it’s about His timing; and nothing is more important than following Jesus.

Oof.

My inner Type A heart loves to plan. Loves to have an outline and follow it, checking off the boxes as I go. But that’s not life, and that’s not where the growth happens.

The growth happens here, in the vulnerability of following Jesus now. The big, hefty conversations that rip you wide open so your heart is on display for any and everyone.

Let’s go there.

Let’s do it.

Let’s not be afraid. There is beauty to be discovered.

So, I’m going to explore it. We’re going to explore it. You and me, friend. We’re going to dig into these big questions together. At least, I hope it’s together.

Let’s learn and grow, and challenge each other to dig in wholeheartedly. Let’s be similar and different. Let’s not shy away from the thoughts and ideas and questions that keep us up at night.

Let’s be the scribe and jump all in, discomfort and all.

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