Traction Anyone?

Weeks without a word and now two posts in four days?!? Let’s hope this is a habit. I just couldn’t go to bed tonight without letting you in on my most recent misadventure. Lucky for you, the joke is yet again on me…
I took a break from the pandemonium of the office this afternoon to run up the street for a quick bite to eat. After paying my bill and heading for the door, I took one fateful step down the stairs, and fell the remainder of the flight. Well, actually that’s not entirely accurate. It was more like I suddenly relinquished all control of my outer extremities and went barreling down the steps in a take-no-prisoners-she’s-out-for-blood kind of tumble. And blood is exactly what I got.

Had I been even slightly more aware of my surroundings, I could have told you that newly polished marble stairs and traction-free flip flops are combination that will almost always guarantee monumental pain. And lying in a heap at the bottom of the shiny staircase, I was a (barely) living testament to that formula. In an instant, I reclaimed control of my limbs, and I only know this because every single inch of them was screaming in pain. As I regained my composure, the first coherent thought to cross my bewildered mind was “how many bones did I break?” I was completely mystified that one fall could bash up so many different parts of my body. It didn’t take long to realize that I was, in fact, still in one battered piece. Thank you Jesus for sparing any children or elderly from my destructive path. I’m telling you this plunge held the potential to be some innocent bystander’s funeral.

But the real disturbing part about this whole mishap wasn’t the fear of permanently dislocating my right shoulder or even the blood that was seeping into my favorite jeans, it was the second thought to bombard my head immediately after taking inventory of my broken bones. I was overcome with embarrassment as I panicked “how many people just saw me do that?” I jerked my head around in every direction and was comforted to see that not only were my bones in tact, but my pride as well.

I got home this evening and I started to really mull over the progression of my thoughts instantly after my personal trauma. After all, it’s in these moments that our true character is revealed, right? When we are stripped down to our bare reflexes and our knee-jerk reactions uncover what is truly within. It really bugs me that the desire to save face in front of others, strangers no less, ranked so highly on my list of concerns. I lay in bed tonight considering the black hole that I believe we humans have dug for ourselves. We have conditioned ourselves into seeking the approval and acceptance of others to such an extreme that we have forgotten where we’re really supposed to be looking. The fear of man is an attitude that plagues the body of Christ, young and old. But Jesus himself simply left no room for the approval of man in the way he lived his life. Can you imagine how different the bible would read if Jesus had folded or changed his path at the first sign of rejection? Remember, he said “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” John 15:18 Even those closest to Jesus ended up denying him, thus the danger in holding the opinions of others in such esteem. People are just people. Flawed, imperfect, and without the mercy of Jesus, utterly doomed for destruction. And yet we still are desperate to fill our needs of approval and love with our fellow man instead of the very source of love himself. The bible pointedly warns us about missing the mark in this area, "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe." Proverbs 29:25. Fearing the possibility that our actions could result in the rejection of others can hinder a life fully surrendered to Jesus. That fear is a snare that Satan would LOVE for you to entangle yourself in. It is a victory for the kingdom of darkness anytime the glory of God is stolen or diminished. Satan finds such pleasure in distracting us from the place of admiration that really matters. The more we look to each other, the more we divert ourselves from the original image we were created in. The bible says that we are aliens of this world, and yet we’re stilling trying to transform ourselves into looking like the natives. Fearing man is equivalent to proclaiming the ways of this world should and can dictate your life choices. Fearing man instead of God robs us from the fullness of life that Jesus talked about in John.

Because here’s the amazing thing: as I sat at the bottom of the stairs reveling in the relief that no one had seen my fall, I was struck by the realization that it also meant no one was there to pick me up. No one was there to dry my tears and put their arm around my waist as I limped back to the office. If we are so busy trying to hide our flaws in an effort to save face, we will totally miss this huge gift that God has given us: each other. We’re wired with a dependency that is meant to be fulfilled by those around us. But it’s not a dependency that refers to praise and admiration. It’s a dependency of fellowship, family, and support. And with this comes and intimacy that requires a willingness to be vulnerable. We need to be brave enough to show our weaknesses so that we may be lifted up by our brothers and sisters. But this must be balanced with the complete pursuit of the thoughts and heart of Jesus, so that saving face is nothing more than an expression..

I’m sure that my pained hobble back to the office turned a head or two on the busy street. But when I finally arrived I was greeted by my coworkers with an outpouring of love that even in this moment makes my heart feel 10 pounds heavier. One quickly pulled a chair underneath me before I fell again and added my tailbone to the growing list of injuries. Another kneeled beside me to pray for my bumps and bruises, while another ran in search of pain relievers. When someone returned with a bottle of alcohol to pour on my wounds I kicked up such a fuss that it was quickly replaced with an antiseptic the color of big purple grapes in the summer time. That bright violet solution is now splotched all over my skin leaving me looking like a 5’6” oompa loompa. But I’m wearing them like little reminders that even though I am completely blessed by the love and approval of my friends and family, the ultimate source of fulfillment is reserved solely for the King of Kings. And he is more than enough.