Probably one of the greatest consequences of the Fall, besides of course the entrance of sin and death into the world, is the human tendency to wear a mask. If you remember, one of the first things Adam and Eve did after they ate the forbidden fruit was to try to cover themselves up-- to try to hide their shame, sin, and newly discovered nakedness.
This trend has followed us since that unfortunate day. It has even followed us into the church. We put on our Sunday face, clothes, and vocabulary, and go to gather together with other believers and play "pretend". We are all doing just fine. No family issues. No financial messes. No addictions. No rebellious children. No hurt. No pain. And then we go home exhausted from "faking it" all day.
My heart hurts that we can't be authentic in church. Or at least we won't. Everyone knows that the first step to conquering any life problem is admitting that it's there. So, why aren't we real?? We may be fooling everyone else, but deep down we long to be able to show who we really are and still be accepted and loved. I know I do.
In the book of I John, we read that "If we claim that we experience a shared life with him (Jesus) and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth--we're not LIVING what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin."
How many "Christians" walk into church pretending to be all cleaned up inside, but with so much darkness on the inside. They are drowning in their own hurt, pain, and addictions, but who would know? I would rather know who someone really is with all their junk, then only get to know the superficial Suzie and the happy-all-the-time Harry.
One of the greatest benefits of walking in the light, or walking in the truth, is to be able "share fellowship" with one another. Or get to "share life" together. I long for REAL community with REAL people with REAL issues. We all have them. Let's stop pretending that there are "those people" who have issues and then there's the rest of us who have it all together. Come on, nobody really believes that.
So, be real.. be authentic.. and learn to be a safe person that people can be real with... Let's love and not judge, let's live our lives openly before God and each other... That's the only way authentic relationship can exist in this fallen world...
Blessings!
8 comments:
One of my favorite quotes is "there are two kind of people in the world...those that are broken, and those who don't know it yet."
AND by the way, i LOVE this picture!!! You are all so purdy!!!
very true
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That was a good blog. Very real and to the point.
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WoW! such a wonderful post.
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Yes. This is important.
I appreciate this post and think that it is indeed important to remind those of us who follow God and the principles of His Son. It is extremely disappointing to hear that someone is hurting so deeply in the church, yet cannot find an open door to express their pain. I know a 75yr old woman, divorced and living alone with various disabilities and ailments, who confessed to me last week that she is hurting. She is feeling helpless, hopeless, ashamed, alone, isolated, and disconnected from family and friends. The only people who come to visit her is myself, my mother, and my grandmother. We are only her friends, but we have become her family over the years.
The sad reality is that she attends church every Sunday! The problem is that she attends church to feel "accepted" by God and her church peers, yet she continues to miss the point of going to church in the first place. This is not her fault, rather it is the fault of the church. Religion is the enemy of Jesus Christ. Religion carries burdens that keep people in bondage. This bondage doesn't allow the presence of God to touch the hurting souls in His tabernacle.
There has to be something that we can do to change this reality. Too many churches house hurting members who not only wear masks, but play the "religious" game only to go back to daily life on Monday and feel all alone and without the true presence of God. What a sad reality.
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