Joo Joo Eyes on You*

John Lennon said it this way: “I know you, you know me. One thing I can tell you is you’ve got to be free.”

Jesus said it better: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Although Lennon’s view of freedom may have been some spiritual ‘joo-joo eyeball,’ he had a kernel of truth.

The truth can set you free in a lot of different ways. But one sure way to remain bound up tightly in a little bundle of ‘yourselfness’ is to hide the real you from the people close to you.

Here’s why I like the way the Beatles sang it. If I let you know me, I don’t have to hide. That sets me free from the cage where I’m hiding my secret self. I can’t keep my secret self locked out of sight without the rest of me being stuck in there too.

It works better, of course, if you let me know you too. It sets your secret self free from its little cage as well. Two uncaged souls getting to know each other, now there’s some freedom.

But while Lennon had some trippy ways to describe his view of knowing each other, Jesus had a simple if-then. “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you…then you will know the truth.” And knowing the truth about each other is simple, but not easy.

It’s not just about dumping all your junk in somebody else’s lap and going home. It’s about opening the door to your junk room, and giving someone you trust a pass to go in, snoop around, and ask questions.

Seeing all your issues, all your ‘junk’ through the eyes of someone you trust, is often enough to start the process of dealing with it. Inviting that friend to regular inspections of your ‘junk room’ helps you keep it clean.

Then when that friend gives you a pass to his junk room, it gives you the grace to deal with that friend’s stuff gently, humbly. You can’t act ‘holier-than-thou’ when all you are is forgiven.

Come together. Be accountable.

Previously posted at NewPointe.org
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