Indifference Must Die (And This Body Must Dance)

It Started Like This

Today, I was home alone in the kitchen doing some dishes (which I do now and then.)  I cranked up some Cold War Kids (which I encourage everyone to do, btw, because CWK rocks) to make the whole thing more enjoyable. As I was going about scraping off bowls with cereal glued on, I sensed an aggression in my soul, in my spirit. And it wasn't because I couldn't get the bran flakes off. It was a healthy kind. A couple days ago, I had caved to a subpar pleasure, and it had been gnawing at me a bit. It felt like a warning light was going on in my spirit. I asked myself some tough questions. Like a cross-examining detective in my mind, I put myself on the chair under the hanging light-bulb. "Rich, what's going on in your soul, man? Who do you want to be? Aren't you tired of excusing away your issues? Is it worth it? Life can be so much more! Don't settle!"

WWKBD?

I was gripped. My own attempts at righteousness an ongoing joke, I had to praise and thank God for His goodness and love. Then, the only response that felt right was to dance like a madman around my house. Which I did. It was actually half-dancing and half fighting. A week at Cornerstone Fest, watching hardcore bands, certainly inspired me, as well. Expressing the energy that God put in my heart, as well as releasing some angst at my own indifference. It felt great, and was the appropriate response. (Warning: Shameless 80's Reference Ahead!) If you've seen 'Footloose,' (if you haven't, uh, why not? Hello. See link below.) I felt like Kevin Bacon's character, Ren, in the warehouse; he's all ticked off, smashes a beer bottle, then just goes nuts with moves that would kill most people. Crazy stuntman stuff. . So it's that kind of feeling (without the flips, good moves, and cool hair.) I think each of us has this in us, an aggression in the soul, the spirit crying out for real life, 100 percent living, not holding back. Life can quench this if we let it. Our spirit fights against mediocre living. It's important to not ignore it. (Watch Warehouse movie clip here.)

The Battle

I battle some thoughts and inclinations at times (which is for sharing in other venues.) Having been on this planet a while, I see patterns in my own life in the battles of life that happen. It seems my mind is the biggest battleground. Fear, lust, pride, self-absorption all seem to fill me at moments. My response is often to succumb to that temptation. After a while, if conviction is continually ignored, a numbness will creep into my heart. For it becomes the only way to continue in an unhealthy behavior and sin. Then when this numbness (or indifference) takes root, then the sky becomes the limit, right? Because love does not operate in indifference, it is pushed to the side. Thus, I am living out of a self-pleasing motive. If I'm all wrapped up in my own lusts (of all kinds), then love must leave. Indifference is the real enemy, the big danger. Coldness of heart. Numbness. I've heard the opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference. Like a serial murderer with a blank stare on his face as he's on trial, lost of all emotional connection, many people have become numb to the gravity of what's going on in life. So more than sin in me, my bigger enemy is indifference to that sin in me. That thing that I should hate, but really desire to do. And if we're honest, sin is an issue because it usually brings pleasure, and some satisfaction, if only for a moment. When I do something I know is wrong, I must numb my heart to do it, or be in constant guilt. The Bible warns of the love of many becoming cold in these days. And he is talking to believers. John Perkins says, "Love is the final fight." So I FIGHT. I dance. I punch the air. I run to God and cry out for Him. Because truly, only He can save me from myself. I pray for God's desires to so fill me that every other desire is seen as the cheap substitute that it is.

Of Cars and Souls

You have a soul that was not meant to live on half-power. A super-charged car comes to mind. Imagine buying a souped up Ford Mustang (my personal favorite), pulling it off the lot, taking it home, then parking it in the garage for sake-keeping. Then every so often, taking it out for a drive around the neighborhood, never going past 3rd gear. It would be ludicrous. That car is meant to be taken out on a long stretch of country road and floored. How different is this from the spirit that God has put in us? It was meant to be connected with the Living God, growing and becoming more and more alive every day. But most people treat their soul like trash, leaving it to rust and die in a junkyard, or be happily 'safe' in the garage.

Channeling My Inner 2-yr Old  + Getting Real

I think of my 2-year old son, Cole, and how he has been learning to talk the past year. Oftentimes, especially early on, he would make some sounds and sentences that certainly sounded like words, but just didn't make sense to me. But he is obviously trying to communicate something important. They say that kids that age will often cry because they're frustrated they cannot express what they are feeling inside. I feel like that sometimes. Maybe you do, too. Inside each of us is a mix of emotions, feelings, and thoughts that are hard to put into words. You can't always express what's going on inside. So why not express what you can? Why not talk it out with someone you trust? You think it's dumb, 'too weird,' 'nobody would accept me if they knew I thought or did this,' or, "I'm so far off the map, nobody would understand." Whatever it is you are going through, it is important to not go it alone. The truth is that most people, if they're honest, are dealing with many of the same things. Life is a battle almost everyday. Even all the people around that seem to be doing great, many are dealing with some heavy stuff inside. Certainly, anyone breathing has inner wars to some degree.

It takes courage to reveal who you are to someone. To trustworthy, godly men, I've disclosed some unpleasant and embarrassing things about myself. It came after years of trying to conquer issues on my own. I tend to be introverted and keep much to myself. I'm okay with that. At the same time, I'm learning there is value in interacting with others more and being honest about me. The truth is, I hunger for those kind of relationships. God certainly calls us to walking in truth and love. So I've just scratched the surface of living this out; there are very few people I feel comfortable really opening up to; but am encouraged to at least be taking steps forward living in the light with others.

The Obvious (But Still Amazing) Conclusion

God created us to need each other, to lean on each other, to build up each other, to love one another. That is His law: love. Our freedom is found in Christ. And who is Christ today? WE are the Body of Christ. We are called to continue his mission of setting captives free, mending the broken-hearted, telling the good news to the poor. Living independently of others is not a part of God's plan for you. It's not. Confession of weakness to one another, which is just walking in honesty, brings healing. It leads to freedom to live life to the fullest, to be real, and to be who you were meant to be. So to say I need Christ is to say I need you, because you are part of His body if you are a Christ follower. (So much could be expounded on about this, but that can happen later.)

The human soul was not meant to be indifferent, whether it be to love or to hate. God has put something in you that was meant for an adventurous, amazing life. It will be difficult at times, hard, and a struggle. If Jesus is our example, then we know this to be true. But it's worth it. We get only one shot on this Earth. So fight for what's important and what will last. Jesus said, " the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." It takes a yielding to the One who has already won, and living not passively, but in a 'violent' spirit that does not quit until the last breath is breathed. The enemies of your soul are certainly not indifferent in trying to destroy you .  Everything will be revealed one day anyway. Why not live in openness and honesty right now? Why not live passionately now? Why not give away what's gThe Angry Warehouse Dance of KBoing to be taken away anyway? LIVE, LOVE, and FIGHT for those around you. And maybe DANCE like a madman every once in a while. It's why you exist.