Having the courage to show up

By Jeff Long

Memories are tricky. Recalling a past event or conversation in your life is, at best, an approximation of what actually happened. Although not always consciously done, our minds amend, exaggerate and sometimes even invent details to fit the exigencies of the moment.

With that caveat, allow me to recall a memory of the football coaches in my high school. With one exception, I remember them as coarse, cocky, lumbering middle-aged men who cracked chewing gum constantly. My recollection of these fellows is that they were reliving past glories through a succession of boys and recalling their own testosterone-charged teen years by leering at girls easily young enough to be their daughters. Were they actually that bad? Probably not, but the warping effects of memory are in play. I despise the memory of each one, except for Mr. Johnson.

Mr. Johnson didn't fit the mold. He was thoughtful and polite, an amateur guitarist who taught physics and coached football. I was wary of taking physics because my grade-point average might suffer, but he persuaded me to register by promising that if I made an effort and showed up for class, I'd get an A. Life, Mr. Johnson said, is mainly about showing up. So, with a degree of trepidation, I took his class, showed up, understood very little, but I gave it my best. Mr. Johnson was good to his word. My GPA did not suffer.

Life, in fact, is mainly about showing up. Filmmaker Woody Allen made a similar comment, but he wasn't my teacher.

Sometimes it takes courage to show up. Rather than cite anecdotal examples, of which there are legion, let's get right to the heart of the matter. Jesus of Nazareth, the New Testament reveals, "set his face for Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). The language of setting one's face is powerful. It connotes determination and resolution. We talk a lot in the church about the cross -- and we should. But we ought to reflect a bit about the decision to go. Jesus' work was to be finished in Jerusalem and he decided to show up.

Fear holds us back from so many things. If we do this, whatever "this" might be, we could fail. True, we might. We might also succeed. It is no secret that a cursory examination of the words attributed to Jesus in the New Testament reveals that he mentioned heaven and hell. He talked about them all right, but talked just as often about fear. About being afraid. "Don't be afraid" and "Fear not" were frequent salutations, frequent conversation starters in the gospels.

I'm persuaded the earthly Jesus could smell fear in people. The Romans fleeced the occupied Jewish population in Palestine with arbitrary taxes, taxes that could go up on a whim. Fear. The Sadducees took care of Jerusalem's holy temple, but every peasant Jew knew they were in league, in lockstep, with their Roman overseers. Fear. The Pharisees were not controlled by Rome but were legalistic, inventing picayune and detailed rules for the masses for seemingly every occasion. Fear.

Jesus was aware of these machinations, declaring, "Be as innocent as doves but as cunning as serpents" (Matthew 10:16). Yes, be aware of deception and danger, Jesus seems to say, but don't be afraid. Fear not. Fear kills creative thought, silences compassion and eradicates any desire for justice. Fear not. Show up.

Thank you, Lord, and thank you, Mr. Johnson, wherever you may be. Show up? I believe I will.