Wednesday, February 22, 2017

A Convenient Faith


Hello, everyone! It’s been a while since I blogged, but I feel compelled today to address this convenient faith that social media makes so attractive. I don’t profess to know what Jesus Christ is thinking, but I’m pretty sure He’s not telling you to fake it until you make it. Being a follower of Christ is a lifelong journey, not an immediate “arrival.” We develop, we grow, and we change as we are molded daily into the image of Christ by the working of the Holy Spirit. Stop pretending!
Blessing and cursing are coming from the same person in the same day. One minute you are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ, and the next you don’t know how you’re going to make it through a financial dry spell. Today, you’re a super saint because God came through in a pinch, but tomorrow a co-worker is going to make you lose your religion. We suffer through fifteen posts about your pastor’s sermon this Sunday, but you’re mysteriously quiet next Sunday when you don’t go to church at all. Are you feeling guilty that you didn’t go? Why do you think so many people are falling away from the church? A lot has to do with us, the so-called Christians.
We have hindered many people collectively by the way we live, the words we use, our attitudes and behaviors. We expect new converts to automatically achieve perfection, when we are trying to hide our imperfections. We could reach people on a much deeper level if we could be vulnerable enough to show them our true selves. Yes, I’m human too, so we can do this together. If we could spend more time being honest with people instead of putting on these shows for our social media accounts, I think we’d find that people could actually relate to us. Some of us are so deep that we’re drowning in our own self-righteousness … alone. We’ve built our fortresses of lies and false pretense, and we’re dying on the inside.
Let me encourage you. You don’t have to pretend to be something you aren’t yet. If you are allowing the Holy Spirit to move in your life, I promise it will get better. You will have more joy, peace and contentment. We are all being changed; none of us is perfect. Feel comfortable being just who you are on the way to who you’re becoming. Jesus loves you. You should love yourself. Loving yourself doesn’t mean you don’t want to improve, but it should mean that you won’t deny who you are. Admit that you’re a work in progress just like the rest of us. It’s okay.

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