By far the chapter that resonated with me the most was Chapter 5: She Ran Into the Girls' Bathroom. The chapter is about risking love, taking a chance, and sometimes facing rejection--experiencing heartache.
Rob Bell references Genesis 6:6 "Then YHWH (God) was sorry that he had made humankind on earth, and it pained his heart." God gave us the right to choose, and from the beginning we rejected Him. We rejected his law, we rejected his will and ultimately we rejected--and continue to reject--his love. To quote Bell "God takes this giant risk in creating and loving people, and in the process God's heart is broken." (pg 97). What we can learn from this is that if our Creator can take the risk of allowing all mankind to reject him for eternity, we can take the chance to love--not only in the sense of a romantic relationship, but also our enemies, our neighbors, our coworkers, our family, etc.--and risk being rejected. Because honestly, we will be rejected. It's unrealistic to think that our love will be reciprocated 100% of the time. We live in a broken world and because of this we face imperfect love.
Further quoting Bell, "Love is handing your heart to someone and taking the risk that they will hand it back because they don't want it. That's why it's such a crushing ache on the inside. We gave away a part of ourselves and it wasn't wanted." (pg 98) All I have to say to that is--wow.
So then Bell goes on to explain how we can risk loving others:
How incredible counter-cultural is that?!? To turn the other cheek? To hold your tongue? To not defend yourself? How incredibly hard is that. Try it! And then...try LOVING the person that you're trying so hard not to talk bad about.Contrast this [bullying others to appear strong] with people who appear weak but are actually quite strong. It's when someone says something mean or cutting about us and everything within us wants to one-up them with an even nastier comment in return, thus winning the exchange, but we hold our tongue. We "lose" the round, but what we did took tremendous strength And it would take even more strength to forgive them and then maybe even love them. It would all appear quite weak to the observer, unless they understood that what they were witnessing was actually strength in action. (pg 103)
And now the part that really resonates with me:
This can transform our experience of heartbreak. Instead of being something that distances us from God, causing us to question, "Where are you?" every poem by a lover spurned, every song sung with an ache, every movie with a gut-wrenching scene, every late-night conversation and empty box of Kleenex are glimpses into the life of God. (pg 106)
Our healing begins when we participate in the suffering of God. When we don't avoid it but enter into it, and in the process enter into the life of God. Wen we see our pain not as separating us from but connecting us to our maker. (pg 107)
So wait, hold up here. Is he? Could he be? What Bell's suggesting is that we experience broken hearts in our lifetime so that, maybe, we can gain a slight understanding of the broken heart God is constantly feeling when mankind continually rejects His love. When I think about the heartbreak I've experienced, I realize that surely it must be nothing in comparison to how badly it must hurt to have mankind reject you...generations upon generations rejecting your law, refusing to trust that your way truly is THE way. What pain that must be. So maybe, I can gain a slight understanding of the sadness God felt when the world rejected his Son and sent him to the cross.
And the last one from this chapter, "Our greatest wounds rarely come from strangers." (pg 108). How true that is. The sting of strangers' rejection lasts mere seconds...but the people we really care about...when they choose to reject us or hurt us...that pain lingers and is the hardest to overcome, to forgive, and to love through.
There really is so much more in this book that is truly astounding. Go read the book. Go. And when you're done, let's discuss. I like theological discussions. True story. :)
