The older I get (maturity yanno), the more people I counsel, with every person I get to know in a deeper, closer way, the more I’m convinced we’re all messed up to one degree or another. Once you get past the veneers, the facades, the masks, have you ever met anyone who was not wounded in some way by a delusional, angry, mother, abusive father, weird relative, peer, spouse, teacher, pastor, priest, church, or boss? I haven’t. But if you’re like me, we tend to look at other people and say, “they have it all together.” “Why can’t I be like them?”
I recently attended a Christian men’s retreat designed to address a man’s shame, anger, loss, guilt, and fear. The transparency from each man was astonishing and refreshing. I met a young man that looked “so together” on the outside. He was well dressed, friendly, and had a charismatic personality. I sat across from him at lunch one day and we’d never met. I wanted to make small talk. I started to ask him about his family, how long had he been married, did he have children. I wondered. He began to share that he had struggled with a gruesome past of meth addiction, same sex attraction, and was HIV positive. But he was seeking God through prayer and felt that because of his early childhood sexual abuse, he had become confused about his masculinity and who he was in Christ. He did not want to live the gay lifestyle and had attended the Marked Men For Christ retreat to receive spiritual help for his struggles. He had great faith and stated that he believed God could heal him of his infection. At first he was taking 10-12 different pills, now he was taking only one pill, and believed that God had protected his life. I met other men over the course of the weekend who were fighting various addictions and problems that were hindering them from becoming all that God had intended. Former inmates, drug addicts, men who had been shamed by their parents, abused by siblings or other relatives, men who had committed adultery, all seeking help, forgiveness, and healing for their wounds and immobilizing fear. All were repentant. Were these people who would stand out in a crowd? Did they look weird? Sound or talk differently? Dress oddly? Not at all. They are God’s children just like you and me. The “guy” next door.
You have your personal struggles, and I have mine. Admit it. Look, we all have issues and wounds from the past that God is wanting to heal and restore completely. We are all “children” walking a mine field of life’s jagged journey. Your journey will be different than mine but we’re connected by our common humanity and frailty. Sometimes the journey gets tough, it’s painful, tragic, and contorted. Yet we share our humanity and are connected by our fallen, at times frail flesh. I’m more convinced than ever that we are so “fallen” and so “flesh” like, so needy, that whether one believes in God or not, only a divine, all knowing, all powerful entity or deity could save us from our “fallen-ness.”
Now, go hug a friend, make a phone call, reach out, extend a hand, let someone know that you care about them. I promise it will be therapeutic ….for both of you.
Recent Comments