Be Real

But by shifting our focus from what we do to what God does, don't we cancel out all our careful keeping of the rules and ways God commanded? Not at all. What happens, in fact, is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it. Romans 3: 31 (Message)

When I was younger, I worked for over 5 years at Office Depot both in the store and at a warehouse. It was a learning time for me. I had a call of God on my life to be doing full time ministry, but I needed to go through this to understand what life outside the walls of a church is like. A lady I worked with who was not a Christian and I were friends and talked regularly about life and struggles. We talked about my beliefs and her struggles with having any beliefs. I remember her telling me she had a hard time with pastors and their appearance of perfection. She would talk to me about how I was the first Christian she knew that she didn't feel threatened to share her own mistakes with. As a young pastor, I found it very interesting that it wasn't a form of perfection that someone in the world was looking for as a pastor. I think many times we think about struggles in our own lives and sins that we commit and we compress them so we don't look like the people we are trying to see saved, or just look like the world at all. She wanted someone that was real. She wanted someone that she could relate to, and not someone that was perfect or trying to appear perfect. I think everyone in the world (including nonbelievers) understands and believes Romans 3:23. Everyone knows that everyone messes up. I think many times we as Christians in our striving to achieve righteousness we forget that we are not righteous beings. I think our striving to pull off a perfect appearance creates a divide between pastors and not just the world but our own people.

I have to remind myself on a regular basis that people think less about me, than I think they think about me. When I begin to worry about what people think about me or what I do then I put up this wall of self righteousness that is neither truthful nor helpful. I think every person I pastor or run into on the street know that I make mistakes. They all know that I am a man. Am I trying each day to get better and become a closer reflection of the Christ that I follow? I hope so. I hope that my decisions show that I am getting closer to that. I have to remember that in the messages I give to kids and adults alike they see this process. I hope I never come off as someone who thinks he is perfect. I know I am not. I will always make mistakes because I am a sinful man. My hope is that by being transparent with my life people will still want to come to know Christ through my example. I know kids can tell the difference between someone who is real and someone who is faking it. Is your focus on worrying about what you do or is your focus on what Jesus did? Is it on what he is doing in your life?