I have been thinking lately about fences. Fences keep things out of our property that we feel could hurt us. They also keep others from seeing inside. Some of us have messy yards we want to hide, and others of us have beautiful roses that people never see but only smell briefly as they walk by.
Guess honesty is something that I have thought I did a good job with recently. That I have been good at connecting with people and getting into heart level relationships with them. But a short time ago I was challenged with certain situations that backed me into a corner where I didn’t have enough strength to stand up in alone. So I found myself reaching out again to my close friends and asking for prayer. And in doing so, found that I was vulnerable and needed to trust beyond my personal fences that keep me from getting “too close” without even realizing it.
Oh yes, there is that matter of trust. And integrity. And knowing which people to talk to who will not check us into rehab because our world is not polished to perfection. And being sensitive to people and things that would hurt us or be out of God’s will or timing for our lives. Yes, living life “on the edge” with people means we are liable to fall off one side or another and get scraped. But the alternative is to live in nice little house with a nice little yard in a world that never is touched by my messes or my roses.
So, I’ve been walking out of my comfort zone. And I have a flat nose from falling on it. And a trembling heart because I’m afraid of new heights that I might fall off of. But I’m listening intently to my Savior, Who is not miffed when I stumble, and Who is speaking softly to my heart and saying, “You will hear a word behind you saying, this is the way to walk in, when you turn to the left and the right.” And every now and then He says, “Tear down another board off that fence! It’s time to let it go! Let people see what is inside: the real, the fake, the insecure, and the arrogant. Your ‘messes and roses’. And know that I love you because I see it all (~I see you from above anyway~ no fence can block My view!), and you can be secure in My love for you.”
Love to get your thoughts! Leave me a comment
About Me
- Rebecca
- Rebecca is a musical artist and worship leader who has copywrited over 300 songs and has 8 CDs released. She is the director/host/creator of "Seeds", a TV show in Longview, TX. She is a public speaker who uses her potters wheel to illustrate the parables between the potter and clay and our journey with God as out potter. Find out more on RebeccaFriedlander.com
3 comments:
Hey...I've been thinking a lot about this lately as well. Living in Ukraine where there is a lot more talking over the fence (in more ways than one) has revealed to me that I'm a lot more private than I thought. I feel so human and vulnerable, and I hate the thought of people seeing me all at once for who I am as a basic, flawed human being. I prefer a lot more time to develop trust and know whether I'll be accepted or not. BUT I'm realizing that as God's kids we ARE part of a family, and we can't hide from each other. I confess that I'm still scared of people pointing out my faults to my face. It may be a little warped, but I'd almost rather they talked about it behind my back! (Ok, I guess I'm not too keen on that either).
I guess it takes a while to be trained out of cultural norms, to get used to a kingdom culture where we see people from Jesus perspective, in the light, where we're not ashamed of our sins because we've become different people, we are learning to leave the old sinful life behind. These are my thoughts...they're garbled because I am not done thinking them yet :) But I can definitely relate to what you're saying.
God bless!
Awesome post, Rebecca! Thanks again for leading the girls last night. You are so encouraging and real. I look forward to getting with you again! Thank you for your friendship!
Rebecca's response to an unposted comment:
Thanks for sharing! I agree... and sometimes it is even easier to let people see the mess than the roses... Do you think we also struggle with dealing with people's approval? Speaking as a singer, I often hear people say, "Oh I probably wouldn't be able to handle the praise and I don't want to fall, so I just won't do anything 'on the stage'." I think our response, or fear of our response, in the flesh is just another aspect of needing God's character building in us. Are we afraid of being beautiful? If we allow Jesus to make us beautiful so that we can point them to Him, then we are able to build the Kingdom. It is the gardener who plants and cares for the see... are we sometimes afraid of blooming to our fullest? Or do we think that the Kingdom of God has to be drab in order to be humble?
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