October 6 Stand Like A Mountain
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”Ephesians 2:10 NIV
Guidepost 10: Cultivating Laughter, Song, and Dance. And Letting Go of Cool and Always in Control
BRENÉ'S INTENTION
I call this the almost-didn't-make-it guidepost because at the beginning I wasn't sure a guidepost on singing and dancing should be part of this book. But here's the truth: As much as I didn't want to believe it, laughter, song and dance emerged in the data as important and vital to our wholeheartedness.
The hard part for a lot of us when it comes to embracing laughter, song and dance is that straightjacket of cool. When I was young, I had a loud laugh, and that was cute and great until about middle school. Then, all of the sudden, when I was criticized for being uncool, I got smaller. And by smaller, I mean quieter and more self-conscious, with more fear about how boldly I could really express myself. Cool had become my straightjacket, and I had to learn the hard way how to take it off. It was so worth it, because when we laugh, dance and sing together, we form community in a way that nothing else can. Laughter, song and dance are so powerful because they are how we communicate to each other that we're not alone.
This Lesson's Intention
"Cool is an emotional straightjacket. I am going to take it off."
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After Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa, he said: “as I walked out the door for the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”
Nelson Mandela knew he had been wronged, but he didn’t want to be controlled by the people who had wronged him. He chose the more beautiful path of forgiveness. He knew loving his country meant letting go of his anger, even if his anger was justified. He stood like a mountain and decided to love like an avalanche.
Most of us want to be the kind of people who extend forgiveness, but we can’t give it away unless it’s genuinely stored up in our hearts. Forgiveness is an overflow of who we are becoming when no one is watching. If we regularly take time to think about how God has forgiven us for everything we’ve done (even the things we’ve managed to hide from other people), our hearts will begin to take the shape of forgiveness. Do this long enough and we will turn into the kind of people who naturally extend it to others because we have felt it’s transforming power.
As difficult as it can be, the only way to multiply love in the world is to let go of the wrong done to us. We don’t need to minimize it or make excuses for people; we just need to see their failures alongside our own record that Jesus wiped clean. When we become people who extend forgiveness, especially when it’s costly or hard, we’ll be well on our way to loving like Jesus.
What do you need to let go of?
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