Transparency

So, I have these new downstairs neighbors. It is a mom and her daughter, who happens to be a sophomore at Walnut Hills. (Man I love high school students). When they first moved in a few months ago they were asking me if I liked living in our apartment complex. I was honest with them and said that I liked my apartment very much, but my biggest complaint was actually my old downstairs neighbors. They were totally obnoxious...they would play loud bass music really late and they always had people there yelling and screaming all the time. She seemed relieved for me that they were no longer there and assured me that the only loud music coming from her apartment would be gospel. I breathed a sigh of relief right then and there...a Christian family...awesome!! She then asked me what I did for a living and I told her I worked as a youth pastor. A huge grin lit across her face as she introduced me to her daughter.

Now, I haven't had too much contact with them since that. Maybe a few hellos in passing, but life has been busy for all of us and I just haven't seen them much. Then on Sunday, God taught me a big lesson. I was walking downstairs to let another friend of mine into my apartment building when I ran into them on the stairs. I was excited to say hello, so after a quick interchange, I asked how things were going. She immediately said, "well, they are ok...I buried my mother this week, but she is in a better place with the Lord, " and then she kind of smiled. I responded to her with my condolences and then told her if there was anything she needed to please come on up...and that I would be praying for her.

I didn't think much of it at the time, but once I had a moment God really spoke to me about the way we interact with each other. I realized that most of the time, even with my Christian brothers and sisters my normal response to "What's up?" is usually, "Not much". And my answer to "How are you ?" is usually, "Good." Why is this? Why do we struggle so much to be transparent with even those who are supposed to love us the most? Is it fear? Is it a need for acceptance? I'm not sure what the answer is, but I think it needs to change. Of course there are times when it is just not feasible to share our life stories with one another...time doesn't always allow for it. But can we try to be a little more transparent? Can we try to be a little bit more honest...sharing the good and the bad?

After thinking on it for a while, if we don't share our concerns with one another we will never be a community. This is what Jesus meant when he said bear with one another. We need to know what's up to be able to pray and care for our brothers and sisters. I shared this with our youth group Sunday night and was met with different responses...some were excited about the idea...some looked scared. I'm not sure how it will play out, but I will say that I appreciate so much those who I have been able to be real with, and I know that God is so present in those moments where we care for one another!!