In Ants Marching - Part 1 we discovered that what holds us back from so much of the life we desire is a resistance within us – a resistance that each and every one of us must identify and wrestle with if we are to be free from the human version of an ant's life. And if we follow the stem of this internal resistance to its root, we will likely find mixed into the soil of our resistance perhaps the single, most powerful contributor to our resistance: fear.
Fear shows itself in a myriad of ways. For example, when we complain about how lame our job is the fear underneath our complaint is that of finding another job that better utilizes our talents but that may not pay as well, which means we’d have to make a sacrifice. And who’s not afraid of sacrificing themselves? Fear also shows up in our superficial conversations with one another. While we know there exists a plethora of insightful stories and encouraging words that, if spoken, can propel us forward, our stories go untold and our encouragement remains mute not because the weather is so interesting to discuss but because we’re afraid – afraid of exposing ourselves to people we may not fully trust. So we settle for an existence of shallow conversation and unfulfilled dreams, and our “chances” Dave sings about remain in a box.
It’s at this point of realization that conventional wisdom suggests all we need to overcome our fear is to envision a better future, break down the path from where we are to where we want to be into small, achievable steps (S.M.A.R.T. goals anyone?), and discipline ourselves to stay on track. Proponents of this approach state in one form or another that if only we commit ourselves to this process we can conquer fear and arrive at the life we’ve always wanted. And yet, so many of us have failed in our attempts at utilizing this approach and we have collectively ended up in a more depressed existence because we feel like we only have ourselves to blame.
I find time and time again that the issue with us as human beings is not that we are unable to envision a better future or even develop a strategic plan for stepping into that future. Rather, the issue is that we’re alone in our journey and we desperately want to have someone alongside who knows us, accepts us, cares for us, and loves us exactly as we are.
In the various accounts of Jesus’ life we find him encountering people who are just like us: feeling downtrodden, inauthentic, without a purpose, and alone. And what Jesus offered them then - and what he offers us now - is not a vision for a better future or a strategic plan for escaping the monotony of daily living. Rather, what Jesus offers is a presence, namely his [God’s] presence, and that always seems to be enough for people.
How liberating would it be to know that we are not alone as we go about our day, or to grow in our awareness that at any particular moment the loving, gracious, comforting, accepting, and forgiving presence of God is right here with us? Perhaps we would awaken each morning with a renewed sense of life, being full of joy, compassion, and generosity. And imagine how contagious and life-changing such an existence would be in the world!
Our daily lives do not have to be the grind we’ve come to think they are. Together let’s take the risk of waking up to the reality that God is with us right here, right now. Perhaps that’s all we really need to take some of our chances out of the box before it’s “lights down, you up and die”.
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