Living Openly

I love to hear the stories of people's lives. It is one of the experiences I enjoy most in the world. There's nothing more intriguing to me than listening to a friend or a stranger tell me about the journey that brought them to their present place. People are so fascinating. Their motivations, their passions, their desires -- we are such diverse creatures.

What is not so easy for me is sharing my own life. The older I get, the more reticent I become about talking about myself. It's easy to veil such a trait in the guise of selflessness. After all, isn't it better to listen than to talk?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Jesus said this:

"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be the salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth....."

"Here's another way to put it. You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world..."

"Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."

(From Matthew, chapter 5, The Message)

Sharing my stuff is probably never going to be easy for me. My guess is that it's going to get harder with each passing year. Stuff stacks up. You know? But I want to be salt. I want to be light.

My house is already open.

It's my heart that needs a little work.