Matthew 10:26-27
I’ve learned recently that one of the reasons that it’s not wise to wake the sheep, is because they don’t want to be woken. They are comfortable where they are.
Their life may be peaceful and abundant because they believe they have followed all of the rules and the practical advice, and now they are enjoying the fruits of their labor. They don’t like it when you pollute their air with “negativity.”
Or, conversely, their life may be burdensome, overwhelming, and impossibly hard. These poor sleepers don’t have the capacity to hear of any more “woes and worries.” But there’s something else, too. They have convinced themselves that they have been unfairly persecuted, and they would rather die than step out of their bubble of self imposed victimhood. They think it keeps them safe.
I cannot seem to help them see that knowledge actually is power. Information (even disturbing information) will set you free.
When you initially begin to awaken, yes, there is a bit of terror. The freefall is unnerving, that’s for sure. And then once you have landed, there is so much grief. You see that everything you have spent years striving for has been meaningless. It was all a ruse. A sham. A hamster wheel. A game you could never win. The resentment feels so big that it might swallow you whole, and the anger so blinding that you fear it will never subside.
But when you are done screaming at the heavens, you start to have realizations. You realize that you don’t have to meet societal expectations or obey cultural norms anymore. You can do almost anything you want. You don’t even have to explain yourself, or feel guilt or shame.
Awakening leads you directly to your free will. To pure, authentic, joyful freedom. To the place where you can finally
just
be
yourself.
Is that not worth a temporary period of fear, grief, and anger?
Are you really that afraid of your own… emotions??