Theme: Rethink: Authenticity
Weekend Music links on iTunes: No Not One - Brandon Heath, All Because of Jesus - Fee, You'll Come - Hillsong, How He Loves - John Mark McMillan
Read: Psalm 139
Think: Have you ever gone somewhere new, met new people and either given out or received back the impression that you'd "see each other next time" and then later realized that was it— there never was going to be a next time? What happened? Well, there's a good chance either you or the other party failed to feel fully welcome with each other. When we feel welcome and in inviting surroundings, we feel like we are safe to be ourselves. Without it, we can smile, be polite, wear a mask—such as a laugh— to hide the discomfort, but deep down in our hearts and minds, if we are thinking: "These are not my people" or "I don’t fit in" or "If they only knew…", we will soon beat a swift retreat.
We all have a deep need to feel like we belong. Yet often our greatest fear is that just maybe, deep down, we don't. I had some bad experiences when I was younger, so it took me a long time to give church a second chance. I had a problem with groups. I could relate well to people one-on-one, but in a group, I got scared and often felt judged or not totally accepted by somebody. If that happened, that was my cue to leave, to drop out. That changed when I finally went to a church group where I felt safe to be open and real. That was because I heard others being open and real about their struggles too.
Pastor Ben talked about a friend that had stopped going to church. They just felt too ashamed at how they might be viewed because of some things they had done. It reminded me of this quote from the opening of Blue Like Jazz where author Donald Miller’s talks about growing up the poor son of a single mother in the rich people’s church: “At church they told us we were children of God, but I knew that God’s family was better than mine, that He had a daughter who was a cheerleader and a son who played football.” I know that I’ve felt like that at times too. Maybe you have too.
In the movie "Magnolia", there is an important scene where Claudia, a troubled young woman, meets Jim, a police officer who is a kindhearted Christian guy. They go out on a date but Claudia’s scared. She tells Jim “When you find out what kind of person I really am, you’ll hate me!” But Jim is determined to prove he’s different, so he tells her how he messed up at his job and lost his firearm and that he’s going to be the laughing stock of his department. They laugh and both agree to be totally honest. It's a brave, inspiring, nerve-rackingly awkward moment as they start to laughingly and lovingly divulge their true selves to one another. Honesty is scary but it’s also where God can go deep with us. I’m remarried and my wife reminds me it was only because I dared to be fully authentic about who I was in my past and what I wanted to do different now that our first date led to a second one and eventually the marriage we had dreamed of and prayed for.
Do: As you read Psalm 139, consider that God knows you just as intimately as David describes. So ask yourself these questions: What am I being afraid to be authentic about before God or other’s today? How can I take my next right step to change that?
Pray: God, you know me better than anyone, better than I know myself. Help me to step out and be fully authentic, to remember that my darkness can be made light and bright as day in you. Amen.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.