Fully Human, Fully Alive
Last week, I listened to a podcast called Reclaiming My Theology with Brandi Miller. On this particular episode, guest Jenny Hall reflected on her experience of becoming a Christian as a young adult. While she had positive things to say about the early years of learning to follow Jesus, she also had some horror stories. Hall said a man once came into her room and pointed out clothes she had to throw out so she wouldn't "cause men to stumble." While she found much love and meaning in the story of Jesus, Christian culture caused a new heaviness and bondage she had never experienced. She remarked, "In the beginning of the Bible, humans are naked and unashamed. Well, I didn't feel naked and ashamed about my body until I became a Christian."
You don't have to look too deeply into Christian church history to see that the church has fixated on controlling and regulating real human bodies. This is particularly the case for people who are brown, people who are female, people who have different theology, and people who identify as LGBTQIA. These experiences squelch spiritual growth and harm emotional, mental, relational, and physical health. This theology and practice leads to abuse and self-hatred. Real human lives are at stake.
Original Goodness
In the Hebrew creation story, we are told humanity was made in God's image, and God said, "It is very good" (Genesis 1:31). There was so much fullness and freedom that humanity was "naked and not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25). Humanity was deeply connected with self, others, and the Creator. This is our origin story.
Think about that for a moment. Have you ever been able to bare your soul in a non-judgemental space? Have you ever felt a love not connected to your productivity but that simply exists because you are worthy of love as you are? How did it feel in your body? How did it impact your outlook on that particular day?
As I read scripture and listen closely to the Holy Spirit, I am increasingly convinced that this is the love the Creator has for you. This is the love we are invited to have for one another. And as we pursue this love, as we fight for this love, and as we rest in love, we are healed and set free.
Fully Human, Fully Alive
Orthodox Christian theology teaches that Jesus came to restore us to the way things were intended to be. Indeed, Jesus told his followers, "though the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, I have come that you might have abundant life" (John 10:10). In the context of the rest of the Gospels and the creation story found in Genesis, this means that Jesus came that we might be fully human and fully alive, as we were in the beginning.
Furthermore, when Jesus wanted to teach us how to be more rooted in God's kingdom of love, justice, peace, and restoration, he usually used examples from everyday life. For instance, in Matthew 6, when teaching about how harmful it is to try and control our lives and the lives of others by seeking more power and more money, Jesus told his audience to "look at the birds of the sky" and "consider the lilies of the field." In other words, Jesus invited his audience to become who they were created to be: human image bearers of God.
Though unhealthy theology teaches us to be suspicious of our longings and desires, they can be pathways to help us connect more deeply with who God made us to be! If God wants us to be free, we must set aside time to learn what helps us feel most alive.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
Though unhealthy theology teaches us to hate our bodies and long for a disembodied heavenly realm, Jesus came in a real human body to bring heaven to earth. Friends, Your body, your culture, and your wiring were God-given. This is THE way you'll best connect with God, self, and others. This is where you will find a safe and healthy home.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - Over and over announcing your place in the family of things.
