Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Karen Ruth Shock

Home
Progressive Christian
Why Put It Out There?

Why Put It Out There?

Last updated on: September 14, 2021 at 6:45 am by Karen Ruth Shock

Why Put It Out There? 2021-09-14T06:45:00-04:00 Karen Ruth Shock

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

IMAGE: Pexels

An Open Heart.

What does that even mean?

How do I get one of those?

And what does it even look like to have one?

These are my thoughts of late.

The opposite would be a closed heart.

Or, we could talk about a soft vs. a hard heart.

A warm vs. a cold heart.

All of these seem to work with where my thoughts are taking me.

It’s all about posture.

The posture of my heart.

If I am closed off.

Not honest with others.

With Myself.

With God.

My heart will begin to shrivel up.

Become hard and cold.

In this world we are living in?

It’s so easy to go inward.

Become about self.

Protecting me.

Saving my own.

Praying for a “hedge of protection”.

Looking out for me and mine.

Ya know?

Safety first.

After all, the Bible says “Guard your heart”.

How do we do this?

Should I put my heart in a box?

Make sure nothing can hurt me anymore.

No-one can hurt me.

Stop with the vulnerability.

Never let them see me sweat.

Or cry.

Or be sad.

Nope, I’m not anxious or depressed.

Never.

It’s way better for me and you if I just shut up.

Quiet the face.

Play like everything is great.

And stay back.

Keep my distance.

No time for up close and personal.

Closeness just breeds heartbreak.

An open heart leads to a broken heart.

Putting my life out here on display?

Being willing to risk being known.

Willing to dive deep.

Not knowing when I can come up for air.

It’s scary, I know.

But, without it?

When I am in protection mode?

Something inside me dies.

The light dwindles.

How will I ever know I am really loved?

If I am not real.

If in fact, you love a fake version of me?

Is it really love?

I want to be known, really known.

And loved.

With a for real kind of love.

And I want to be able to love you.

For who you are.

Not who you pretend to be.

Not the “first date” kind of infatuation.

But the real life, nitty gritty, been married for 25 years kind.

That is how God loves.

We see it in the person of Jesus.

He saw right through people.

Looked right in their eyes.

Straight through to their hearts.

Looked passed their outward behavior.

Through to their need.

And blessed the need.

We can do this too.

Bless each other.

If we are willing to open up to one another.

Don’t get me wrong.

It isn’t necessary for us to share everything with everyone.

But how about taking some baby steps.

Let someone in.

Lean in.

Go there.

Trust our heart to another.

Maybe it starts with being real with God.

We can let the God who already knows… know.

May we feel the love that Jesus has for us.

May we open our hearts to him.

Let him soften them.

Maybe, just maybe the whole “guarding of our hearts”?

It’s not keeping them hidden away.

Maybe it’s actually keeping them out here.

In a place where we can see each other.

Alive and open.

Knowing and being known.

Because out of our hearts?

Comes the wellspring of life.

IMAGE: Pexels

Karen R Shock resides in Fort Wayne, IN with her husband and their youngest son. She had three more children who are married and four beautiful grandchildren. Oh, and a dog name JT Barrett (Go Bucks). She is a retired homeschool mom and is now a high school teacher and cheer coach. Life is hard, but fun.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 13, 2021

I Labeled Myself A Loser

Next Post

September 15, 2021 It's Worth It.

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category anxiety comparison deconstruction faith Family Fear Driven Faith god homeschooling marriage Mental Health Misfit My momma parenting prayer Purity culture Rapture Theology Theology Uncategorized When church hurts

Select a Month January 2024 December 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many books are in the major prophets section of the Old Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

4 7 3 5