Day 20

Paradox number ?? (I think I've lost track...)

The greatest fear and greatest freedom are linked to hearing and speaking those things that cause us shame.
"What will people think if they know..."
It's what keeps an alcoholic hiding their problem, the same way it keeps all of us doing the same. Kept in the dark, our demons feed on our imaginations and grow into untamable monsters.

However, if you have ever felt safe enough to name those demons out loud, you may have discovered how quickly they "shrink in the light."

I have a friend who is the pastor of another United Methodist Church. Several years ago, we agreed to ask each one another a series of questions about where we are struggling with boundaries in our lives (whether or not we'd crossed any.) We rely on one another not only to maintain these boundaries, but to be able to speak aloud those times we may cross them; trusting we will love one another enough to listen and speak truth without judging one another.

Whether in small groups or close spiritual friendships, I have always wished that the church could be a place where we could do this with one another. Perhaps you have these places in or beyond the church. If not, I hope you will work with me to find or create these, for you and for others.