Comfort Zone: Stretching Beyond Your LimitsSample

In just about every relationship, there is the potential for a power or authority differential. Some of us are afraid of losing control and others are afraid of being in control. We are not alone in this. Since the very beginning in the garden of Eden, humans have had a problem with authority. 

No relationship is intended to be about power, control, or authority. Instead, relationships necessarily require dependence. The “problem” with being human is that we need other people. Paul understood this when he wrote, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). To live is to depend on others. 

Jesus modeled this for us. At one of the most agonizing and emotionally trying times of his life, he went to the garden of Gethsemane and confided his greatest sorrows and troubles to three of his closest disciples (Matthew 26:37). Jesus could have skipped this step of community and instead gone straight to God in prayer (v. 38). However, by inviting others in and sharing his inner world, he demonstrated for us what it means to be fully human. Even for Jesus, life on this earth was better connected to others. Jesus didn’t mask his desire for connection and community within the body of Christ. 
 
Relationships aren’t about power; they are about dependence. So, who are you depending on? Who do you need? If your initial answer is “Nobody,” then perhaps it’s time to reexamine. If your initial answer is “Everybody,” then perhaps it’s time to follow Jesus’ example and choose a few close, safe people to share with. If your initial answer is, “I don’t know,” then perhaps it’s time to address those feelings. 

I hope that today you find your garden of Gethsemane and take a step toward depending on another person or two. Who do you want in your garden? Who are you depending on? If you could, what would you tell them?

Matt Driggers
Care Network Director