Vulnerability

Inside all of us are children playing hide and seek. The child within hates to show itself lest it be injured or hurt.

And so we put on masks in order to avoid rejection and pain. The small child stays behind the walls of false personalities and masks of their own making.

We are vulnerable people. We do not want to be hurt. Relationships, especially deep ones, are more likely to hurt so we keep them superficial.

I was rewatching Audie Murphy's "To Hell and Back." One of the soldiers says "We don't make friends anymore because we loose them, and we are stuck with those that we already have."

Yes that is the way it often is. We avoid deep relationships and friendships because we do not want to hurt or to be hurt.

HarleyDad is as guilty on this as the next person.

At churches we shake hands to show that we are friendly and go from person to person like doing the do-si-do at a square dance. We don't take the time to say anything and as soon as we shake one hand we are looking for the next person to show that we are a friendly people. In most cases we don't even look the person we are shaking hands with in the eye. This is not koinonea; it is not relationship; it is not fellowship. And those whose hands we shake return to oblivion. We do not recall their names or faces after the service.

Jesus and the early Christians spent alot of time in each others homes. How long has it been since we have done that. The early church took meals together. Fellowship and koinonea appear to be a lost art in the modern world.

Perhaps when TV's and the internet fail, we will rediscover these ancient pleasures . Meanwhile the "friendly welcome to our church square dance" in the middle of a church service has no meaning except as a friendly salute to the ancient and lost concept of relationship, friendship, fellowship and koinonea.

Meanwhile the children continue to hide behind the adult appearances. The "Keep Out" signs are still up.

Above are a few signs that I saw from my ride yesterday. Perhaps we can begin wearing these signs instead of just posting them on our property.

Welcome to the "Gated Community."

HarleyDad