Stories

Tonight at chapel, the speaker Tony Kriz said that he was taking a risk. He asked all of us there to get into a position where we could see most of the people in the auditorium. And he read off a list of statements, ranging from "I love cartoons" to "I have been the victim of abuse" and had each person who could say that about themselves stand up. Everyone could see everyone. If you were brave enough to stand up at one of the statements, there was no hiding. You were out in the open. Everyone knew your secret, your pain, your regret. You were vulnerable. And it sucked. But at the same time it was so good, and so powerful. I had tears welling up in my eyes as i looked around the room and saw people i know, even friends of mine, admit some of their greatest pains in front of everyone. The statements kept rattling off, usually followed by a deafening silence at the sheer weight of it, followed up by the creaking of some chairs as the brave ones took a stand for being vulnerable. It takes a lot of bravery to admit you're a coward, and it takes a lot of strength to admit that you're weak. The power of these few moments in Zurcher auditorium was almost tangible.

"People would be surprised to know that I'm lonely."
"I hate the way God made me."
"I hate what I see when I look in the mirror."
"I have struggled with an eating disorder."
"I don't believe in God."

And on, and on, etc. The whole point of this was not to make us all feel like crap, but to share our story and have others share their story with us. It was so moving because, in those moments, we realized that we are not alone in our weaknesses and our struggles. We all have a story. We all have pains. We are all human. And in those moments, i think we were united in our humanity. Maybe we started to see each other as God sees us--as people that have lost their way so many times and just need to be loved.

I don't want to forget those moments. I don't want to forget the story of humanity. Because the funny thing was, in those moments where there seemed to be so much pain being shared, i felt even more love being shared. I wanted to go up to so many people and give them a big, meaning-filled hug, because i knew that i shared a part in their story, and they in mine. And filled with the knowledge that we all are wrapped up in the pain-filled and redemptive story of Christ, i feel hope.