A Confession

"Now all who believed were together and had all things in common."

Acts 2:44

"In common." Belonging to several or, and I like this definition better, belonging to the generality, as distinct from what is peculiar to the few. I have to admit when I first read this verse, I thought I knew where I was going to take it. God had other plans.


When I read that the believers had all things in common, I automatically think. . .possessions. They shared the material blessings that God had given them. And that is undoubtedly true. But Paul says in Romans 15:1, "We then who are strong out to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves." Believers ought to bear one another's burdens. That responsibility falls on two parties: the bearer of the burden and the believers that surround them.

Humanity has the tendancy to lock itself into prisons of isolation, to chain itself with the fetters of self-inflicted lonliness and to build walls so high and thick no one would dare penetrate them. We cover our insecurities with stage make-up, refusing to expose our struggles and pains. We wear the cloak of an introvert so as never to have to reveal our talents, skills, or passions. In an attempt to shield ourselves from looking ridiculous, we stand stupidly in a corner, mouth closed, head down, hands in pockets. Our friends consist mostly of people we've never met who clicked a button on our FaceBook page. We go through life with headphones in our ears, cell phones that do everything but eat, sleep and breathe for us, drive around in our cars with tinted windows and are determined to interact as little as possible. Do I paint a vivid enough picture? Of course, I am speaking of myself.

But there's flip side to this coin as well. For the person who is not willing to open themsleves up to others, neither will others open up to them. Even if the desire to reach out is there, this imprisoned person can never reveal that because the very action of helping makes them vulnerable. Proverbs 18:24 says, "He who would have friends must himself be friendly." Perhaps this is a stretch but I would also say that he who would be friendly must himself have friends. Relationships are give and take. Love is different. Love does not require reciprocation. Christ demonstrated His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He didn't wait for us to approach Him; He came to us first. The relationship does not begin until we have both received the gift of salvation and given our lives to Him. In terms of human relationships, I can have an emotional love towards people, but I cannot have relationship with them and as thus that love cannot be received by them because they don't realize that it's being offered. John asks the question, how can the love of God abide in anyone who is unwilling to all their actions to demonstrate that love. The answer is, it can't.

Although it isn't exactly a bastion of biblical truth, these lyrics do resignate:

If weakness is a wound that no one wants to speak of

Then cool is just how far we have to fall

And I am not immune, I only want to be loved

But I feel safe behind the firewall

And I lose my need to impress, if you want the truth

I need to confess

I'm not alright.

We all have burdens; we all have joys. We all have things that make us cry; we all have ways to make others laugh. Whether we believe it or not, to close one's self off from the world is both to hoard a gift and reject a gift. Will you het hurt at some point? Yeah, probably. But isn't it better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all?

Application: It is much harder for me to speak from my heart about my own battles. Today, I will open up by sharing this IBS with someone.