I hear people talking all the time that do not even know they are in prison. Somehow, Jesus' children have mixed the enemies' lies into a big pot with the truth of what Jesus tells us and come up with a do-it-yourself prison cell called "common sense." Common sense is really just a cover word for control and control is fear cloaked in a socially acceptable format. I know it sounds rude for me to say it, but wake-up calls are rarely thought of otherwise.
I heard a guy speak at a church awhile back. He had been asked to give a testimony. He began to reveal some very personal fears he had. He gave details of how he had struggled against some fears for a long time. He talked about the future and his health concerns. He was honest about a surgery that was coming and how he was really scared. He even talked about people he was scared of and why he was scared of them. I could see he was trying to be very vulnerable. I really felt his fears and understood how they were so real to him. There was a lot of uncertainty about his future. There was a lot of doubt in him that the outcome of his situation would be good. And, from a "common sense" standpoint, he had a legitimate reason to be afraid. He did a great job expressing these fears.
Then he began to talk about Jesus and how he knew Jesus would take care of him. Suddenly, it seemed like he was VERY nervous. He stumbled over his words. His train of thought was disjointed and seemed confused. I could follow him, but something was vastly different in his speaking now. I thought I was being too critical of him (one too many speech classes in college). He pulled out his notes to try and collect his thoughts and get back on track.....and as his hands shook and his speech faltered, I heard God speak clearly,
"My people are more intimate with their fears than they are with me."
Wow. I thought of how we talk about what we fear in such detail, of how we even relate to one another in the fears. I thought of the ease in which I can express my knowledge of what I am afraid of.....how I identify with those fears.....of how much time I spend with those fears.
And then, the stark realization came.....
We are sleeping with fear and still trying to go home and crawl into bed with our faithful spouse. Then, we cannot seem to figure out why there is no deep intimacy between us and our one, true lover. True intimacy can only be shared monogamously. True intimacy is glorious. Everyone really wants true intimacy and impurities leave us frustrated and stunted and discontent.
Common sense is nothing more than an extramarital affair that pollutes from the inside-out. It has become an idol that has been enthroned by our society and it draws us, lures us away from Jesus. Fear and control hiding as common sense are the voices of whores coaxing us into a place we would not knowingly go....and when we turn around, the bars are already shutting behind us. And the other prisoners are whispering "this is just normal," "this is reality," you'll get used to this after awhile" or "your passions and dreams were just childhood fantasies, you are grown-up now," until you accept your surroundings and learn to live without freedom.
So, we have to turn from the whispers and look deep into the eyes of our lover and see Him embrace us with His eyes. Feel Him hold your hand and pull you into His chest. Feel Him hold your heart. Our hearts will begin to beat with His. His heartbeat is like no other and it beats for you in its own particular rhythm. It doesn't follow a common sense pattern. As you listen to it, your shape will begin to change and you will find you don't look like everyone else. You will find you can slip through the bars and you cannot be held by the common sense prison anymore. Don't be afraid to not be in control, He is a faithful lover that will never leave you. He doesn't make sense and he is certainly not common. He is His own shape. He is the shape we want to be.
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