First of all, please tell me the theme song from "Ghostbusters" just ran through your head! And maybe you're not afraid of ghosts, but I'm sure there's something - spiders, enclosed spaces, cats (especially hairless ones), the dark...I may not be able to vouch for all of those, but I can definitely vouch for being afraid of the dark. Did anyone else watch that show "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" and then have to sleep with their parents? No? Just me? Ok, moving on.
I actually remember being terrified of the dark...and not just when I was little. I'm pretty sure I slept with a night light AND my baby blanket until I was 16 (and I still sleep with a “security” blanket at 31). There have also been times of sleeping on the couch (with almost every light in the house on) so I could see every entry point into my house. I wasn't paranoid AT ALL. Ok, maybe a little. But why was it so scary? Was it the strange house noises? Was it watching too many scary movies growing up (most of which my parents didn't know about)? The scary movies definitely played a part, but I think the main thing about it was the unknown. Even though everything in the house looks/stays the same whether the lights are on or off, there are still unknown aspects in the dark, which we can then create stories about until the lights are turned on to see the true reality of things.
So let's dive into the real, real stuff. What keeps us from exploring the “dark,” unknown places of our hearts? They’re scary, right? Ok, maybe you’re one of those rare (weird) people that has never been afraid of the dark and unknown. But for the rest of us...ok, maybe I’m the rare, weird one that’s afraid of those things and everyone else is normal. Either way, I have some thoughts.
For one, I think as a Christian (at some point and not because of bad intentions) there has been this idea that the heart is an evil thing full of, well, evil things. However, when we come to know Jesus, we’re new creations - EVERYTHING has been made completely new...like actually a whole other creation. And if that happens through Jesus, who is perfect, then our hearts can’t be evil, because there is no evil in Jesus (and yes, I understand that there are still things that we have to work through within our hearts; I’m not saying we’re perfect and will never make poor choices or anything like that). So there’s that mentality that the heart is evil and should be a thing to be controlled (or maybe locked away behind bars forever) instead of explored.
Secondly, (maybe because of the above mentioned) I think one of the main reasons we don’t go to the dark, unknown places in our hearts is because they’re like the junk drawer in our homes. You KNOW the one I’m talking about. Everyone has one. It’s the one place in the house where you shove all the crap that you don’t want to deal with right away, but then you end up forgetting about it forever...at least until you move to another house or the drawer is overflowing. (Ok, insert nerd alert - I LOVE this analogy of the junk drawer; pretty sure Holy Spirit just gave that one to me.) The junk drawer holds all the things that you can’t be bothered with, but as you shove more crap inside, it becomes messier and messier until it explodes and you have to deal with it.
I think we often do this with our hearts. Instead of regularly exploring or tending to them, we wait until they explode and we’re forced to deal with what is really going on, because the breakdown, the anxiety, the depression, etc. are just the cries for help from a messy heart that has had enough of the junk. Cleaning out the junk drawer of our hearts can be a painful place though, because mess is tough. It can be hard, scary, and sometimes shameful, but oh the beauty that is found in those messy places like treasure at the bottom of an ocean - dark and scary and yet never discovered without exploring with light. Light was never meant to expose mess for the sake of putting it on a shame display but to give sight to the treasure that can be found within it as we see it for what it is and navigate through it.
I am finding that the key to exploring what can feel like the dark, scary and shameful places is exploring them with the light of compassion - compassion for ourselves, for our hearts, for our journey, for our past and present (which will hopefully release anticipation for our future). Shame cannot stand against compassion. Shame isolates and keeps us from the beauty and treasure, while compassion allows us to see the treasure within the mess and begin the cleaning up process in order to polish and display the treasure that was meant to be shared with others.
So what is holding you back from exploring the deep waters of your heart? I guarantee that there is treasure in there. God isn’t scared of your mess; He is full of compassion; He is ready to explore those places with you and help you extend compassion to those places that have felt like an explosion of mess, shame or pain. It’s time to clean out the junk drawer. Who knows what good things you will find! I bet they’re better than any “bad” story you’ve made up in your mind regarding what’s in there, so why not shed some light on the mess to find the true, real treasure that lies beneath.
I actually remember being terrified of the dark...and not just when I was little. I'm pretty sure I slept with a night light AND my baby blanket until I was 16 (and I still sleep with a “security” blanket at 31). There have also been times of sleeping on the couch (with almost every light in the house on) so I could see every entry point into my house. I wasn't paranoid AT ALL. Ok, maybe a little. But why was it so scary? Was it the strange house noises? Was it watching too many scary movies growing up (most of which my parents didn't know about)? The scary movies definitely played a part, but I think the main thing about it was the unknown. Even though everything in the house looks/stays the same whether the lights are on or off, there are still unknown aspects in the dark, which we can then create stories about until the lights are turned on to see the true reality of things.
So let's dive into the real, real stuff. What keeps us from exploring the “dark,” unknown places of our hearts? They’re scary, right? Ok, maybe you’re one of those rare (weird) people that has never been afraid of the dark and unknown. But for the rest of us...ok, maybe I’m the rare, weird one that’s afraid of those things and everyone else is normal. Either way, I have some thoughts.
For one, I think as a Christian (at some point and not because of bad intentions) there has been this idea that the heart is an evil thing full of, well, evil things. However, when we come to know Jesus, we’re new creations - EVERYTHING has been made completely new...like actually a whole other creation. And if that happens through Jesus, who is perfect, then our hearts can’t be evil, because there is no evil in Jesus (and yes, I understand that there are still things that we have to work through within our hearts; I’m not saying we’re perfect and will never make poor choices or anything like that). So there’s that mentality that the heart is evil and should be a thing to be controlled (or maybe locked away behind bars forever) instead of explored.
Secondly, (maybe because of the above mentioned) I think one of the main reasons we don’t go to the dark, unknown places in our hearts is because they’re like the junk drawer in our homes. You KNOW the one I’m talking about. Everyone has one. It’s the one place in the house where you shove all the crap that you don’t want to deal with right away, but then you end up forgetting about it forever...at least until you move to another house or the drawer is overflowing. (Ok, insert nerd alert - I LOVE this analogy of the junk drawer; pretty sure Holy Spirit just gave that one to me.) The junk drawer holds all the things that you can’t be bothered with, but as you shove more crap inside, it becomes messier and messier until it explodes and you have to deal with it.
I think we often do this with our hearts. Instead of regularly exploring or tending to them, we wait until they explode and we’re forced to deal with what is really going on, because the breakdown, the anxiety, the depression, etc. are just the cries for help from a messy heart that has had enough of the junk. Cleaning out the junk drawer of our hearts can be a painful place though, because mess is tough. It can be hard, scary, and sometimes shameful, but oh the beauty that is found in those messy places like treasure at the bottom of an ocean - dark and scary and yet never discovered without exploring with light. Light was never meant to expose mess for the sake of putting it on a shame display but to give sight to the treasure that can be found within it as we see it for what it is and navigate through it.
I am finding that the key to exploring what can feel like the dark, scary and shameful places is exploring them with the light of compassion - compassion for ourselves, for our hearts, for our journey, for our past and present (which will hopefully release anticipation for our future). Shame cannot stand against compassion. Shame isolates and keeps us from the beauty and treasure, while compassion allows us to see the treasure within the mess and begin the cleaning up process in order to polish and display the treasure that was meant to be shared with others. So what is holding you back from exploring the deep waters of your heart? I guarantee that there is treasure in there. God isn’t scared of your mess; He is full of compassion; He is ready to explore those places with you and help you extend compassion to those places that have felt like an explosion of mess, shame or pain. It’s time to clean out the junk drawer. Who knows what good things you will find! I bet they’re better than any “bad” story you’ve made up in your mind regarding what’s in there, so why not shed some light on the mess to find the true, real treasure that lies beneath.
#worthit
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