Blessed by Intrusion
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.~1 Cor 2:13 NIV
My post today is inspired by a post written by Carol Gerrish, Leadership Coach, on the Spirited Leaders blog titled “Not so Nice” that states:
“Extreme niceness bugs me too. It sucks the juice out of conversations … talking about the weather can only take you so far. It limits our capability for success … people hold back ideas and suggestions, rather than risk rocking the boat. And it caps my spiritual growth … I’m denied the connected, deeply caring relationships where real discovery and growth can take place.”
I agree with Carol when she says, “it caps my spiritual growth”. We shy away from the very things that we should be addressing to bring us closer to holy living. We put off for tomorrow the conversations we should have with others today. And tomorrow becomes never. We ignore or simply don’t hear the soft whispers of the Spirit nudging us to step out fearlessly in God-confidence and be Jesus’ comforting or even challenging voice to others. We even put off conversations we know we ought to have with ourselves so that we can confront our own truths and lies and shed our burdens and sins.
I know that we all at times hold our tongue out of concern of being thought of negatively, rejected, embarrassed, or even because we just don’t feel like dealing with or getting involved in a situation. And sometimes we are truly busy or caught up in our own struggles and innocently overlook opportunities to engage in life-changing interactions with other people. But when we remain superficial or simply avoid, are we truly being present as we are called to as Christians?
I tire of responding, “fine” or “good” if I really am not. I often just ponder on how we have become so busy, self-conscious and focused on our own lives that we have desensitized ourselves to that which should be compelling us to be the heart of Christ to one another. when someone asks how I am doing and I am having a rough day, I often want to just say, “You know, today has been a hard day. I’m actually not doing so well. I’m struggling with such and such.” But often there is that awkwardness of not knowing whether someone is really interested in the details. And then when you take a risk and do speak your truth, sometimes it is not truly listened or responded to–or if it is, there’s no follow-up and you ask yourself if you are really important to them or was that “so nice” smile just a formality.
Even in our churches–whether leaders or members, we are so busy “doing” what we planned and think we must that we forget about “being” who we ought to be to one another. It is said that our words can hurt, but our silence can sometimes hurt more. It is so true that the truth can set you free, but many of us are in bondage because we hold our truths inside or do not allow opportunity for truth to come in–from God or from those God may be leading to speak to us. I want to hear much more than just “how’s the weather” conversations echoing through the church buildings and passing down from chair to chair around the table at small group potlucks. I want to know how people’s “spiritual weather” is doing–what storms they’re facing and how we can find shelter together, what clouds are clearing and how we can find the rainbows above them.
I’m sure that lots of people thought of Jesus as “not so nice”. When the Father led Him, He did not let that hinder his purpose. When He asked questions or made statements to people, He sought that which was beyond the “what” of the person or topic and reached into the depths of the “who”, beyond our humanity to our spirituality. Just looking in my Bible’s index, there are tons of times where He begins speaking with “I tell you the truth…” Jesus was a truth speaker. He did not only rock the boat, but He called others to step out of the boat! Now, I’m not saying that there isn’t a time or a place for “talking about the weather”, but as Christians, we do need to be tuned in to hear God’s spiritual wisdom and use discernment and loving boldness to make our interactions with others not only of worldly value, but of spiritual value–being truth speakers, helping to lead them and ourselves further down the path to victorious Christian living.
On Toby Mac’s CD “Portable Sounds”, the song called “Face of the Earth” states, “real friends are willing to intrude so I’m gonna push in ’cause I wanna love you well.” So many of us get offended when friends “stick their noses into our business”. But I believe that Christian brothers and sisters have been called to the role of “nose-sticking”. Of course not judging or telling–but walking beside, sharing insights and observations, challenging and correcting gently. We must stop thinking of all that we ought to say in silence and then not say it, letting situations that God potentially meant for our connection and growth and His glorification slip away.
Jesus says in John 15:15, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” And his tender intrusion into our lives is what makes us see truth, grow on to maturity and move closer to experiencing true fulfillment as we become who we were made to be and witness God’s beautiful divine plan. And part of that plan is our honest, deep connectedness with fellow believers that enhances our strength and potential, creating more personal and spiritual victories in our lives–truly successful Christian living! So when we speak into other people’s lives, let us speak with words taught to us by the wisdom of the Spirit, even if it seems ”not so nice” in our human wisdom.
Christian Life Coaching Call to Action:
1. What truths is God laying on your heart to speak more regularly in your conversations with others? What are you naturally passionate about in your spiritual life that you feel called to share with others, but have been keeping silent about?
2. Who do you feel like you could intentionally make a deeper connection with? to impact their lives? to impact yours?
3. In what situations have you not been your true, authentic self? How might you living your truth set you free? How can your truth be of valuable service in your family? workplace? church? community? If you fear or are uncomfortable showing this truth, who can help you get to the source of this obstacle–your pastor? a life coach? a friend? a mentor?
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