On being uncomfortable on purpose this new year...
Awkward silences
make us feel clammy and unsure of ourselves, they make us feel
embarrassed and out of sync. Moving to a new school, a new job, a
new town, state or country can make us feel timid and out of sorts,
everything is new, everything is changed, nothing is in place as it
should be, nothing is as we expect. Chronic pain can make us feel
squirmy, unsure of our own skin, out of place in our own bodies,
something is not working right, some part is off, some system is on
the fritz.
Doing new things,
stretching our familiar areas of normalcy can be very demanding.
Taking dancing lessons, public speaking, trying new food, cooking for
guests for the first time, looking toward a totally new career.
Perhaps going back to school for the first time in years.
It is with a new
year in mind that I am encouraged, and I hope you, the reader, will
be to, to try things that stretch you. It's easy to be comfortable
and I have one specific area in mind. Stretch your spiritual truths.
I'm not advocating abandoning orthodox beliefs, and I'm not
encouraging heresy by any means. What I am encouraging is learning
from books you wouldn't normally read, listening to speakers you
wouldn't normally tune into and engaging in conversation with people
from different backgrounds and beliefs.
I worked at a
restaurant many years ago and got to meet the coolest, nicest guy
I've met in a long time. He was in the military and liked a lot of
the same music I did, we talked about a lot of things. He was a very
cool Mormon. Did we talk about religion? Yes, but not all the time.
We talked about Jesus, and we talked about his family and mine, and
we also discussed Nirvana and Pearl Jam. I didn't convert him but I
shared the gospel with him over a period of time. I also got to
learn a little bit about Mormonism but not a lot because he didn't
force it down my throat.
I've talked with
people who grew up in conservative Christian homes who are now
simply, “spiritual but not religious” and I've known Buddhists
who used to be ministers in Evangelical churches. I've known
Catholics and Evangelicals who share a lot of close views with me but
also hold some that I most certainly do not.
One way to approach
differences is to be ok with being uncomfortable. When we get
uncomfortable our instinct is to numb it, run away, throw it out,
ignore it or run away from it. Read a book you disagree with, invite
a person from a different background to your home, listen to a
different perspective with an open mind and an open heart. You might
be surprised what you learn about yourself.
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