There is a power in just being, of not having to prove that you belong somewhere. Whether there is silence, talking, or movement, there is a knowledge that both parties are pleased that the other one is there. In groups or one-on-one, we don’t always feel like we belong. It feels like we have to prove to everyone there that we deserve a place there, that we are expected to show our worthiness. When we do this, we end up reading into every response we get, constantly searching for validation and fearful of rejection. We think that if we do enough, prove enough, that we will get to stay and the sting of denial won’t be felt.
In some cases, this proving period is good. We don’t want unhealthy, toxic people to have central places in our lives and we don’t want to be parts of groups that are toxic or don’t want us around. This is not a proving of worth but instead of healthiness and compatibility.
But most of the time, we are trying to show everyone that we deserve the things in life we want desperately: love, belonging, validation, value. When we feel these things, there is a state of being that happens, of just being as you are right now with another person. To find this, we have to risk a little bit. We have to be willing to show our true selves in order to ever get to this place of being. We have to be willing to show that we are a little more messy that we want anyone to know, that we are infinitely more complex that we could ever express, and way more beautiful than we will ever guess.
When this happens, the filter that we put on in front of everyone else slips away, we become our most authentic selves, the most vulnerable, and the most courageous. And then we find that authenticity, vulnerability, and courage start to grow exponentially, eventually seeping into other areas of our lives. All because we were just “being” with another person.
Now, when we take what happens when we can just be with another person and the power, love, courage, and authenticity it brings to our lives, we can multiply that one-hundred times over for the power of being with Christ. Since He can see all, knows all, and is everywhere at all times, we have access to a presence that is constantly being. He is. In His being, we find the greatest freedom to be as well. Filter or not, He sees you as you truly are, saw all the messiness, all the complexity, all the beauty and actively choose to be with you. You don’t have to prove you belong or that you are worthy. You don’t have to prove that you are smart, funny, talented, beautiful, or wise. God asks you to come as you are. So, come as you are. With all the healthy parts of you and all the bruises, all the triumphs and downfalls, all the flaws and all the strengths. Come and Be.