My family love to watch Stargate SG1. We own several volumes and have Stargate-Fests. Why are we so strongly attracted to the four highly mismatched characters who make up the team of SG1? I think it’s because of the overwhelming sense of community that occurs between the four members. (and their CO) They are all so very, very different. Their relationships are not perfect but in the midst of their imperfections they care deeply and risk life and limb for each other.
Am I ready to risk life and limb? Am I ready to commit myself to those who will risk themselves for me? Am I ready to be vulnerable? Right now I don’t think that I will ever be ready for any of these things.
In Matthew 23, when the steward bought back the thousand dollars he had buried, the master said: "That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that!’ (The Message) He admonished his servant for “playing-it-safe.”
Now I’m a person who likes a challenge, but this call to be vulnerable, to take risks, to not play-it-safe, seems way beyond me. Or is it? On reflection, am I already partway there?
My move from isolation to community began earlier this year. I joined an on-line Christian forum dedicated to writers. I got to know some of the individuals who walked, crawled, skipped or flew across its boards. Some were brave enough to love, nurture and confront me. I began to return their love. I don’t know that I’d risk my life for them – yet – but I do know I’m prepared to be vulnerable.
There I experience community at a distance, but community none the less.
A little step. What will the next step be?
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