This past weekend we had some new friends over to share a campfire.  As we sat around laughing and telling stories, I decided to share an embarassing story of when I was a young boy on my first deer hunt and I mistook a cow for a skunk, only discovering my mistake after pulling the trigger and hearing a loud "MOOOO!"  (Yes, my Dad had to buy the dead cow from the farmer who was very understanding of my stupidity.)

 

As the laughter was dying down, someone jokingly said, "if that were my story, I would never tell a soul."  My immediate thought was; "what a blessing to be surrounded by friends when we can feel safe enough even to share our most embarassing moments."

 

Too often in life, I get overly concerned about what I imagine people think about me and as a result, I keep myself guarded and at a distance.  Yet because Jesus loves me, I have been set free to be open and vulnerable before others knowing that even if another person rejects me, still I have love and acceptance in the one who truly matters, Jesus Christ.

 

When we share our lives with one another (both the successes and the failures), we allow God to increase our joy and minimize our sorrows.  When we share our lives with one another, we become a source of support and courage for others who mistakenly believe that they need to hide who they truly are.  When we share our lives with one another, we live into our identity as children of God and we show the world that there is indeed a better way to live.