Nobody is as happy as he seems on
Facebook. And no one is as “spiritual” as he seems in what we deem as
“spiritual” enough for Christian worship. Maybe what we need in our
churches is more tears, more failure, more confession of sin, more prayers of
desperation that are too deep for words.
Maybe then the lonely and the guilty
and the desperate among us will see that the gospel has come not for the happy,
but for the brokenhearted; not for the well, but for the sick; not for the
found, but for the lost.
So don’t worry about those shiny,
happy people on Facebook. They need comfort, and deliverance, as much as you
do. And, more importantly, let’s stop being those shiny, happy people when we
gather in worship. Let’s not be embarrassed to shout for joy, and let’s not be
embarrassed to weep in sorrow. Let’s train ourselves not for spin control, but
for prayer, for repentance, for joy. –Russell Moore
I SO agree with these last few
paragraphs of a recent blog post on Moore to the Point about how facebook is making us
sad.
I remember when I first was coming out
of a long, deep depression a few years ago. I was at a Christian
gathering full of missionaries, as I introduced myself I had no qualms
expressing my recent struggles and God’s great kindness towards to these near
strangers because I knew they were sisters in the Lord. My blunt honesty
was met with blank stares.
It bothered me then and still does now
that we are not “allowed” to show weaknesses, not permitted to be frail.
But, the reality is I am OH so thankful that my God is a God of mercy who
forgives my wretched sin. The reality is that it is ok to boast in OUR
weaknesses (2 Cor11:30 and 12:5).
Father, keep my heart soft. Help
me to be transparent with others and honest about my struggles and weaknesses
to You, to myself, and to my fellow brothers and sister in Christ. And,
when we gather to worship You, let us be a people able to express our emotions,
both our joys and of sorrows.
Wow. I just found this post and even though its been written a while back I have to say that it was exactly what I needed to read tonight. I cried when I read your words.
ReplyDeleteIt is such a sad truth that many churches, at least in the US, are just "feel good" places. If anyone started crying people would think you need to see a counselor or psychiatrist. How sad!
There have only been a few times that my pain was so bad I couldn't hold back the tears in church. And God used my tears to bless others. I agree with you that the church needs to be more honest about where people are.
Jesus said that he didn't come to help the healthy but the sick. The Bible, the church, all of it is for those of us (all of us) who endure heartache, failure, and discouragement. Praise God for His amazing love!