Let’s Keep it Real

Most of my blog posts are motivated by my observations, experiences, and emotions. That can get kind of risky when you start talking about spiritual matters, especially if those observations, experiences, and emotions aren’t grounded in Truth. They can be a bit subjective. Nonetheless, I do not claim that what I write here is perfect. A lot of content is my personal opinions and should absolutely be tested. My ultimate goal for each of my posts is to encourage the reader–in whatever place they’re in (non-Christian, young Christian, mature Christian; a person in a season of affliction; a person in a season of joy and gladness, etc.) and to point them to Jesus. I like to try to keep things as “real” as possible, but without being shocking, dramatic, or dishonoring with my language. In a culture where the average attention-span is about 10 seconds and where our lives are displayed on superficial platforms that make us always look clean, perfect, and happy; I think transparency and truth about what’s really going on in our lives beyond the surface-y stuff is critical.

Honestly, writing blog posts about real stuff is very painful. Every single time I write something and hit the “Publish” button, all types of insecurities bubble-up: “Does this make me sound like I’m trying to be a know-it-all?” “Do these posts make me look like I’m full of it?” “What if somebody disagrees with what I write?” “Does this make me look crazy to some people?” The list could go on. I always try to bring myself back to the “why?” Why do I write these posts? What’s the motivating factor? At the bottom of everything–at the most fundamental level–broken down to the most basic fragments–I want people to know and love Jesus. Even at the expense of my own reputation or “what people think.” Fear of man is a very powerful thing. And in my opinion, it’s one of the biggest things that keeps us from obeying and submitting to Jesus.

I live in north Florida, which is basically similar in culture and attitude to the rest of “The South.” Now you get into central and south Florida, and those are different animals there! That’s where you hear about people getting DUI’s on horses and getting attacked by sweet, cuddly Otters who have gone rogue. Like the rest of the South, north Florida is very “churched.” It’s almost a cultural phenomenon, really. Almost everyone goes to church. One minute, some guy’s talking about listening to Chris Tomlin and how great church was on Sunday, and within the same breath says, “Hey, did you check out the rack on that woman that just walked by?” Now, don’t get me wrong, all Christians are hypocritical to varying degrees. That’s not what I’m getting at here. There are plenty of legitimate Christians walking around who struggle with lust and love of money, and fill in the blank. The keyword is “struggling.” Some people aren’t struggling.

I have recently been reading Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. Bunyan was a Puritan preacher and author from the 1600s, whose applications are still relevant today. The book is basically an allegory of the Christian life. In the story, one of the characters is someone named “Pliable.” Pliable represents the person who hears the Word and has joy and embraces it at first, but falls off the track once difficulty arises. I think many people are in this spot. Particularly, the guy who loves the worship on Sunday, but comments on the woman’s appearance that walks by. As soon as he has to start fighting sin and goes through hardship, he’s out. There’s a shallowness to his faith. In what I have observed, the vast majority of the type of Christianity that is purported in America today herds people into this category: a very shallow level of faith that still has a “lets have our cake and eat it too” mindset that finds it perfectly okay to give into carnal desires whilst professing faith in Jesus. It’s essentially a self-centered Gospel where God is supposed to support you and your life goals and make you a lot of money and establish you in your career or business with no health problems. It’s very sad and self-deceiving.

I think my Dad will let me pick on him a bit. A few years ago, he became a Christian. He’s a legitimate Christian. The day after he was baptized, he wound up in the hospital and was diagnosed with a very rare liver disease called PSC, for short. For the 75% of the time since he’s been a Christian, his health has steadily declined. He is no longer able to work. His health insurance and medical costs are through the roof, and he is much more limited on what he can do in terms of normal, daily activity. If that wasn’t enough, a few weeks ago he broke his leg while slipping on some ice. His femur bone broke in-half and he had to get surgery the next day to repair it. He now has a rod in his leg and will be on at least a 6-month recovery of rest and physical therapy before his leg is back to normal. The injury to the leg has put a lot of stress on his already failing liver and so now he is very close to needing a transplant or he doesn’t make it. Once he gets his transplant, it’s another 6 months to a year recovery for that major surgery. Can you see where I’m going with this?

The have your cake and eat it too Christianity doesn’t focus on suffering, affliction, depression, sin, death, etc. Can I assure you that suffering, affliction, and depression is a means by which God has chosen as a mechanism of growing in maturity (sanctification), becoming more Christ-like in one’s faith? Christ himself suffered–to the point of death. There is a real cost to following Jesus. Suffering and hardship is a necessary ingredient to the Christian life. Not my words:

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not resisted to the point of shedding blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.’ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those have have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:3-11).

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4).

“For you , O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.” (Psalm 66:10-12)

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.” (Isaiah 48:10-11)

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that way may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17)

There are many other places in the Bible that show suffering and affliction as a necessary part of the Christian life. To me, when I read the Bible, I see that God uses hardship as one type of means of maturing us in our faith, and make us more like Christ. And His goal behind it is our holiness and our good. Additionally, it’s so that we do not give our affections to another:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

“For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” (Isaiah 48:11)

And these two verses are not competing things, but are tied together. It is for our good that we only give glory to God and nothing else. God knows he’s the most satisfying thing in the universe and that only in Him will we find complete satisfaction. It’s an act of love from God. We must not empty the Gospel of suffering. Let’s talk about real stuff. I don’t know about you, but I think life can be pretty hard sometimes. Let’s not pretend like it’s not. I can tell you money has yet to solve my sin issue. Possessions have yet to solve my sin issue. My marriage has yet to solve my sin issue. My kids have yet to solve my sin issue. Sex has yet to solve my sin issue. A glass of wine has yet to solve my sin issue. The good weather has yet to solve my sin issue. Going on vacation has yet to solve my sin issue. My smart phone has yet to solve my sin issue. My job has yet to solve my sin issue. I’ve tried all those things, trust me. They don’t work.