Last month a woman we met outside of church kept asking to make sure we were Christians. When we said ‘yes’, she would reply, ‘but you guys love so well, you accept me where I’m at, and you’re not judgmental!’. She was clearly astonished at this revelation and upon meeting Christians who didn’t condemn her or give her a list of things to work on before they would accept her. When I explained that we are Christians not because we are perfect but rather because we are messed up and therefore need God, her mind was blown.
Lets get real. People are messy and nobody has it all together. The more places I go, the more ministries I get to be a part of, the more people I meet, the more I recognize the brokenness of humanity and the depths of pain and suffering that each and every person carries. It slowly sinks in more and more each day. Confidence is often used to mask insecurities, happiness is faked to cover pain, theological positions are changed to conform to certain lifestyles, struggles are shared as ‘unspoken’ prayer requests so that we can be prayed for without having to go too deep or share our pain with others.
What if churches around the globe began each service something like this:
‘Welcome to the church of screw-ups. This is a place where you can come and lay out all your issues for everyone to see and still be loved and accepted. We all have our problems, so feel free to lay out yours, look through others, share your pain and walk through life with each other. We all have messy lives, and because of this we deeply realize and accept our need for a Savior. Jesus is His name…let us introduce you today!’
We assume that if we share our problems and mistakes with people we will be rejected, make others uncomfortable, we will be a bother and our issues aren’t that important or worth the time, we will find out that people don’t really care that much…
STOP IT ALREADY!
What IF we resolved to share these things with people and trust that they can be a safe place to struggle, a safe place to be challenged and get a fresh perspective, a safe place to receive prayer, be pointed to Christ, and that friends can be a safe place to walk through life with? Yeah we’ll be let down sometimes, but more often than not people will surprise you and be a huge reflection of the Lord that we serve through the grace and compassion that they show.
What IF we each gave and expected grace as a primary response?
When did the church start obtaining the reputation of being judgmental and hypocritical, pretending to have it all together only to have our perfectionist persona eventually blow up our problems for everyone to see?
I know there was definitely a time in my life when I was that judgmental and hypocritical person, pretending I had it all together and hoping nobody would notice otherwise. I was that Christian who believed the lie that sanctification was a fast process and I was supposed to be perfect because I had Jesus. But when we look at scripture and the types of people Jesus hung out with, they were messed up! Yes Jesus would call them out on their issues and challenge them to live a better life, but he loved and accepted them through that process. I believe that’s what we are called to do today as well. No matter what walk of life you come from, what continent you live on, what church you attend, who your friends are, let’s resolve first and foremost to always love people where they’re at, walk through problems with each other, and grow and challenge each other into a better way of living life for Jesus.
There was a church we went to in Panama that quickly informed us that they were a new church, they had several guys who had been incarcerated, former alcoholics, etc. It was beautiful to see them minister to each other through their messy lives, and I am grateful for their example!
What if we as the church were to live raw lives and trudge through our messes with each other?
I believe it can be a beautiful and healing thing. I’ve seen and experienced it in multiple churches, on multiple continents, in multiple states, lets continue to encourage each other in this way.
Just a little something I’ve been learning to live lately.
Live Well,
Crystal
When did the church start obtaining the reputation of being judgmental and hypocritical, pretending to have it all together only to have our perfectionist persona eventually blow up our problems for everyone to see?
I know there was definitely a time in my life when I was that judgmental and hypocritical person, pretending I had it all together and hoping nobody would notice otherwise. I was that Christian who believed the lie that sanctification was a fast process and I was supposed to be perfect because I had Jesus. But when we look at scripture and the types of people Jesus hung out with, they were messed up! Yes Jesus would call them out on their issues and challenge them to live a better life, but he loved and accepted them through that process. I believe that’s what we are called to do today as well. No matter what walk of life you come from, what continent you live on, what church you attend, who your friends are, let’s resolve first and foremost to always love people where they’re at, walk through problems with each other, and grow and challenge each other into a better way of living life for Jesus.
There was a church we went to in Panama that quickly informed us that they were a new church, they had several guys who had been incarcerated, former alcoholics, etc. It was beautiful to see them minister to each other through their messy lives, and I am grateful for their example!
What if we as the church were to live raw lives and trudge through our messes with each other?
I believe it can be a beautiful and healing thing. I’ve seen and experienced it in multiple churches, on multiple continents, in multiple states, lets continue to encourage each other in this way.
Just a little something I’ve been learning to live lately.
Live Well,
Crystal
