The Courage to Show Up

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night. - John 3:1

Brenna shared yesterday how she’d grown up being critical of Nicodemus. He didn’t even have the guts to show up in the day time, to be loud and proud about his faith journey. But then she shared how, of late, she’s had more compassion for Nicodemus.

It’s hard to make a major life change all at once. It’s hard to leave behind the community you’ve had - and sometimes the family - in order to change your life for the better. Some of us who’ve come out as LGBTQ have had this experiences to the max, losing all sorts of relationships. And so, perhaps it’s okay to be gentle in our opinion of Nicodemus - and ourselves - when we’ve only got the courage for a small step. Perhaps we can’t get the big life transformation done all at once right now… Could it be that Jesus is ok with that? He was known to be especially kind to the fearful, the marginalized, and the broken.

Is there a dangerous step that you are considering these days? Some place where your faith might take you but which you are not sure you can get there right now? What if, instead of criticizing yourself for your lack of faith, you honored that you’re naming where you are at? And could you gently consider a smaller step that might move you in that direction? That might be a good way to be like Jesus today. After all, Jesus did say, “I am gentle and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29).