It's a thought provoking question isn't it? We humans easily fall victim to conditioning. We attempt something once, maybe a few times and if we get hurt we avoid that experience at any cost. Some individuals; however, may paste on a grin and force themselves to confront the very same issue again. They know that it is probably going to hurt - not a pain so much from the issue itself, but pain from the initial wound as memories are stirred.
Floor to ceiling bathroom stalls can cause problems. Sure, for privacy it's great. But, you never can be sure if anyone is in there. Such was the case during a sport show in 1999. I was giving seminars (on walleye fishing - I used to compete on the professional tournament trail) and working at my sponsor's booth, promoting product. About half way through the day, I was encouraged by some positive remarks from a company exec. as to my future with their product and company. Later that same day, a friend of mine, took me aside and told me of a conversation he overheard while, well, sitting in just such a bathroom stall. In short, he heard the very same company exec, who hours before was singing my praises, tell someone how he had it made. "Dave Kidd mentions our product in his seminars, magazine articles or when he's on ESPN or TNN and we sell a bunch of product. But, we're just using him now when he's cheap, when his name demands any significant money, we'll dump him!" I'll never forget that day - it crushed me. I vowed that no one would ever use me again!
A while back I finished reading Confessions of a Pastor by Craig Groeschell. In it he says not to take too seriously the comments of either your fans or your critics. Wise words. Sometimes the very same ones who give you the highest compliments will turn and hand you your head on a platter minutes, hours, days or years later. That's human relationship. Knowing that, it is so tempting to just hang out the "closed" sign and live my life in peaceful obscurity. But I have this problem. I can't hide my heart. If I do, I can't help people. I can't get close enough to people, or allow them to get close enough to me if I have hidden my heart in an effort to protect it. Hiding my heart would turn everything God has called me to do into a train wreck.
Are you hiding your heart? Are you too afraid to get close enough to people to reach them for Christ? Think you'll be hurt? Guess what? You will be, and the sting of it will always be a memory in this life. Again, are you hiding your heart? Imagine if Christ hid his!
1 comment:
I'm reading the same book right now and just came across that. I admit that it is really tough to do it when you've been burned again and again. Yet connecting to people requires that we be open. Open to the joys and the pains. In my frail humanness, I sometimes wonder how Christ was able to so openly love people, especially those that he knew were going to kill him.
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