1. Fear. This isn't really a new thing, but it's something I've become more deeply aware of lately. I'm not usually a fearful person. But I've been noticing how often fear has and is shaping how I respond to the situations and relationships I find myself in. I see this all around me in our culture, as well. Will I be safe? Will I have enough? Will I be loved and valued? Will I be good enough? Don't talk to strangers. Save for tomorrow. Work hard now to get ahead tomorrow. Wear this, eat that, buy these and be "in" (at least until the next fad comes along tomorrow). I'm beginning to wonder if underneath all our habits, rules and cultural norms, is a lot of ugly, paralyzing fear. Yes, fear helps us to be safe and aware of our limits. It also binds us, and blinds us. Fear keeps us in the containers that we've grown comfortable in. It only allows us to see what has always worked. It only shows us how to ignore the fear, or cover it up. Fear prevents us from living imaginatively, creatively. It keeps our focus on the problem, rather than the solution.
2. This brings me to a scene from one of my favorite movies- Patch Adams. The real Dr. Patch Adams has developed the Gesundheit! Institute, an organization with the mission to provide free medical care "based on the belief that one cannot separate the health of the individual from the health of the family, the community, the world, and the health care system itself". I love Patch's ability to step out of fear and to imagine ways to authentically care for people. This scene has remained in the back of my mind as I work at finding ways to provide care through pastoral social work.
2. This brings me to a scene from one of my favorite movies- Patch Adams. The real Dr. Patch Adams has developed the Gesundheit! Institute, an organization with the mission to provide free medical care "based on the belief that one cannot separate the health of the individual from the health of the family, the community, the world, and the health care system itself". I love Patch's ability to step out of fear and to imagine ways to authentically care for people. This scene has remained in the back of my mind as I work at finding ways to provide care through pastoral social work.
3. I recently came across a video of a TEDx talk by Brene Brown. She is a social work researcher and speaks about her study of wholeheartedness. Ironically, she's found that the people who are able to live wholeheartedly are also the people who have been willing to be vulnerable. The two go hand in hand. I love Brown's definition of courage- the ability to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. In other words, living fully, feeling connected and worthy, is directly related to letting go of fear.
Lent- It is a common practice to give something up for Lent. I'm not very good at this. This is mostly because I don't like the idea of giving something up (like chocolate or Facebook) to become more disciplined. I guess I'm just not very good at will-power and self-control like that. I also think this practice plays into the culture of shame that is prevalent in the church. "I'm not good enough, so I need to become more disciplined." However, Lent is a deeply formational time. Traditionally, in the early church, Lent was a time of preparation for baptism. Converts would spend these 40 days in deeper reflection, confession, and learning the practices that would shape their faith. I appreciate Jan Richardson's perspective, that Lent is an invitation "to live into the Incarnation--to wrestle with what it means that God became flesh; to discern how God calls us to let the Word become flesh in us; to let go of what hinders us from recognizing Christ and finding and following the pathways he opens to us." In a blog entry on The Painted Prayerbook, Richardson describes this Lenten work as a journey of joining in covenant with God, and untangling ourselves from things that bind us.
The last few years when I have considered Lenten practices, I have worked at creating practices that will give me the space I need to open to the formation that I need. This year, I think I might give up fear. Will you join me? What if, during these next six weeks of Lent, we became more aware of our fear? What if we chose to allow ourselves to be vulnerable? What if we chose to see the world with imagination and curiosity? What if we untangled ourselves from the paralysis of fear, and lived in resurrection?
