Good morning my friends, and welcome to another week! Grab a
cup of your favorite drink and join me.
By now, you may know that I collect quotes that resonate
with me. One of the most recent ones says, "I no longer look for the
good in people, I search for the real. Because while good is often dressed in
fake clothing, real is naked and proud no matter the scars."
Some people may think this is a jaded way of thinking. I
might have thought that in the past myself. But, think about it. How easy is it
to appear “good”? How many of us put a lot of effort into hiding things about
ourselves, i.e. mistakes, emotions, secret sins, wounds? All the while there is
a suffering inside at the sake of appearing to others as if all is fine, and
even worse, pretending we don't have problems.
I watched a short documentary with Bono of U2, and Eugene
Peterson, author of The Message Bible. Bono has apparently become quite taken
with that version of the Bible and the author. The exchange between them was
quite beautiful. One comment by Bono struck me. He said that the problem he has
with most Christians is that they are not real. His point was how much more
influence would we have if we just let down our pretenses and show
reality. I have to agree one hundred percent.
Being real and authentic is hard. It requires vulnerability,
and not many of us enjoy that feeling. What if we faced the truth
about ourselves? What if we were honest about our shortcomings, our faults and
our pain? What if we spent less time pointing the finger at others? I think of
the Bible verse, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free." [John 8:32] I believe that if we spent more time allowing ourselves
to be real, God could better use us to show His character.
As Christians we say God loves us no matter what, yet we
still hide as Adam and Eve did once they sinned. If we truly believe He loves
us regardless, then we need to let our humanity show, be honest with self and
others. It's freedom at its purest form.
Until next week, be blessed,
Jenn
No comments:
Post a Comment