Strong backs, soft fronts, wild hearts. The title of my reflection comes from words that Brene Brown has coined. For those of you who are unfamiliar with her, here is her bio, in her own words:
The official line: I’m a research professor at the University of Houston, where I hold the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair. I am also a visiting professor in management at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. I’ve spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. I’m the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers, and I’m the host of the original podcasts Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead. (https://brenebrown.com/about/)
She expanded on words she heard from Buddhist practitioner Roshi Joan Halifax, “All too often our so-called strength comes from fear, not love. Instead of having a strong back, many of us have a defended front, shielding a weak spine. In other words, we walk around brittle and defensive, trying to conceal our lack of confidence. If we strengthen our backs, metaphorically speaking, and develop a spine that’s flexible but sturdy, then we can risk having a front that’s soft and open. How can we give and accept care with strong back, soft front, compassion, moving past fear to a place of genuine tenderness? (Roshi Joan Halifax, as quoted by Brene Brown)
Brene goes on to say, “So I really adopted this strong back, soft front belief and practice. And then as I started writing Braving the Wilderness, which is a book about belonging and how difficult belonging is. You know, fitting in is easy; belonging, which requires the courage to be yourself and let the world see you, that… That’s when I added the wild heart. This is how she defines true belonging. True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness.
True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are, it requires you to be who you are. So I think if we’re going to make true belonging a daily practice in our lives, we’re going to need this strong back and soft front and this wild heart. (https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-on-strong-backs-soft-fronts-and-wild-hearts/#transcript)
Can you relate to any of that? I sure can, especially the defended front! And I see it in my ministry, especially as an Intentional Interim Minister… people and congregations living out of fear, unable to risk vulnerability in any way that might lead them to new life. That fear is often well disguised. It’s disguised as knowing all the answers… it’s disguised as rigidly clinging to customs and habits that no longer serve them, it’s disguised as
And it blocks being open-hearted and humble, which is the focus for this week. I know that when I live out a posture of fear, I am not open to whatever God is calling me to. In my ponderings this week, I began to wonder how fear, lack of humility and arrogance are intertwined? Arrogance is a shield… I think it blocks the fruits of the spirit that our scripture reading referenced today: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
On a day when we mark and remember all the missing and murdered indigenous women, we are reminded of the arrogance of our ancestors, who came to Canada, who thought they knew what was best for the people who already inhabited it.
Being humble means knowing that you don’t know it all. That you don’t have all the answers. That you are just one piece of the puzzle… an important and integral piece, but just one piece. It is not self abasement… thinking that you are worthless… it’s knowing your unique place in the universe… but also knowing that you are not the centre of the universe. 😉
Being open-hearted and humble take courage… the word courage come from the French ‘en couer’… to take heart. Being open-hearted and humble risks being changed by encounters with each other… with newcomers… with the holy. How can we cultivate open-heartedness and humility in our lives? Spiritual practices, including exploring scripture help us to remember and celebrate our place in the universe. Help us remember the ongoing story of God’s people… people that were just as screwed up and confused as we are! We are going to do one of these spiritual practices right now. It’s called lectio divina, which simply means divine reading.
I’m going to read the passage from Galatians 3 times.
And there will be some silence after each time, along with a question. You’ll hear my singing bowl start and end the silence.
- What word, phrase or image pops out for you?
- How does that word, phrase or image connect to your life right now?
- What do you hear God inviting you to do, to be, or to become through
this passage?
If we were doing this in a small group, I would invite you to share around the circle. But since we are doing it in the context of worship, I’ll just invite your silent reflection.
The first time, “What word, phrase or image pops out for you?
Galatians 5 Selected Verses
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.
Ring bowl, silence, ring bowl.
How does that word, phrase or image connect to your life right now?
Galatians 5 Selected Verses
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.
Ring bowl, silence, ring bowl.
What do you hear God inviting you to do, to be, or to become through this passage?
Galatians 5 Selected Verses
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.
Ring bowl, silence, ring bowl.
You can do this with any scripture passage… you can do it with a piece of poetry or other writing. Thanks be to God for the challenge and the opportunity of being open-hearted and humble. Amen.
Galatians 5 Selected Verses
Philippians 2: 1-5
May 5, 2024 – SJ
St. James United Church Dartmouth 