Have you ever had a frazzled Sunday?
You know, the kind of day where you do your best to get to Church on time but
instead of getting your heart prepared to absorb the teaching of God’s Word you
spend the morning “reacting” rather than responding? I am sure that many of you
can relate. To be honest, when I let my
emotions and frustrations get in the way all I really want to do is hop back
into bed, avoid people for 24 hours and then “begin again”.
One recent Sunday I was particularly
frazzled. The events that led to this
emotionally charged morning had not helped my mood or attitude to life in
general. I tried to rally my emotions so
I was able to give our Church Welcome Team the usual “hello" smile when one of
them spoke:-
“Good morning, how are you?”. I gave
a half-hearted smile and responded, “Fine thanks”.
The response was automatic but it
also kick started my inner monologue.
The conversation went a little like this:-
“Am I really fine? I don’t feel fine,
I’m exhausted, I have been sick for many weeks, I am behind in my housework and
cannot remember the last time I actually sorted the junk pile (aka my bedroom).” If I was honest I should have said “I feel
exhausted and overwhelmed” but
God is still good!
Why is it that most of the
time we tend to answer the question with an automatic generic response no
matter what is going on in the background?
Is it because we don’t think the
person asking really wants to know? Is
it because we are too busy to answer? Or
maybe, just maybe, it is because we are in a leadership position in the Church
and feel we can’t be showing any “perceived weakness” in case it is
misinterpreted as a lack of faith.
I have just finished reading “Loved
Back to Life” by Sheila Walsh. In this
book there is a quote that really struck a chord with me and gave me “much food
for thought” in relation to my responses:-
“What I think we as the church lack,
though, is a place to talk about how things really are right now. In our desire to be an inspiration to one
another we often veil what is true, because what is true is not always
inspirational……….If we were able to put aside our need for approval long enough
to be authentic, then, surely, we would be living as the church.”
I
encourage you to think about that quote for a moment and then ask yourself the following question:-
Am I seeking approval from my
church family so much so that I am not living authentically, but projecting the
idea of what I believe a Christian should look like?
Thankfully the Bible makes it clear that God has created a time for everything, just look in Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, 7:-
There is a time for
everything , and a season for every activity under the heavens: A time to be
born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill
and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and
a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance……. A time to tear and a
time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak.”
My prayer for us this week is that we will live an
authentic Christian life. That God will
give us the wisdom to know when to humble ourselves and seek support, when to share, what to share
and when to stay silent and listen.
References: Holy Bible: New International Version. (2011).
Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan
Walsh, S (2015); Loved
Back to Life; Nelson Books USA
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