It’s not magic, or rocket science… just love.
[REPOST]
* I originally shared this post in August of 2023. FYI, as a paid subscriber, you can access my full writing archive (along with other fun surprises and perks). This post just felt right for today. My job has changed, but my heart hasn’t. 😀
I don’t know why, but I trust you.
You have kind eyes.
God loves me? Do you really believe that? Thank you.
Would you stay with me for a while? I feel safe with you here.
We were strangers just moments before. We never wanted or intended to meet. But something terrible happened, and it’s my job to show up when terrible things happen. These are the things strangers sometimes say to me in my work. It’s strange, beautiful, terrible, and wonderful work.
It’s my job to show up and be a trustworthy, kind, reassuring, and safe person amid the chaos. It’s my job to be a non-anxious presence with strangers in the early moments of their trauma and/or grief. It’s my job to show up, be present, and care. But it also expresses who I am, who I am becoming, and who I want to be.
My life is oriented around my faith, and I choose to put my faith in a God who I believe is the fullest expression of LOVE. Anything I try to practice in my life and work simply expresses the image in which I am created. It’s not magic or rocket science… just love.
LOVE.
That’s it. It doesn’t matter the circumstance or situation. Regardless of their culture, sexuality, faith tradition, political persuasion, or any other way we tend to define or divide ourselves… I want people to feel seen, heard, and loved when we meet. I don’t always get it right, but that’s what I’m aiming for. That’s where I seek forgiveness and reconciliation when I miss the mark.
People come from different starting points in understanding who God is and how God interacts with us.
People come from different starting points in their understanding of the Bible and how it should be read.
People come from different starting points in their understanding of love and how it can/should be expressed.
Some people don't feel safe questioning God (or the version/vision/image of God they most align with/relate to from their upbringing/experience.)
In God's presence, I feel safe, seen, and loved. I feel free to question, doubt, and wonder. I feel free to love. I feel free to affirm expressions of love that look different from my own. I feel free and safe to rest in the presence of God, who is not just loving… God is love.
Brian, I so appreciate that you have such an honest relationship with God. I am still exploring how to fully be myself with God, even though I am cognitively aware that he already knows. There's just so much guilt associated with my questions, my newfound freedom in asking them, in not accepting every issue at face value. I just want you to know how valuable your voice and perspective and heart are here on Substack.