HippoChurch

Been diving back into the book UnChristian (unchristian.com) after it gathered dust for a few weeks. Life’s gotten pretty busy with my wife and I expecting our first child in a few weeks. Anway, finally remembered to take it with me for my time on the bike at the gym. (Thanks to Jeff Henderson at Buckhead Church, blog.buckheadchurch.org, for reminding me of that great reading opportunity, when you can either watch your RPMs and the TV captioning or perhaps exercise your mind as well.) Chapter 3 addresses hypocrisy, which is probably the #1 criticism of people outside the Church. I would argue they’re totally justified in that, but that’s another point for another day.

There’s a letter in the chapter by Margaret Feinberg (margaretfeinberg.blogspot.com), where she shares one of her blog posts on the topic. I love how “real” it is. I can only imagine how many more people could clearly examine the message of Jesus if Christians carried this posture vs. the facade that we have it all together. Here it is (pp. 62-63):

I thought that becoming a follower of Jesus would help me kick the sin habit, providing the inoculation I needed, but in some ways the symptoms just grew worse. I realized how much I was infected and how it was affecting my attitude, my relationships, my life. So the truth is that I’m fighting. I’m fighting sin with everything I’ve got. Some days I fare better than others. Odds are that if you’re calling me a hypocrite, then you caught me on one of my worst days.

I am sorry. I’m sorry that I let you down and disappointed you. But the truth is that I’m not giving up or letting go. I’ve encountered a God who promises that the battle ends in victory- life instead of death. So call me crazy- but I’m holding on to that promise. I’m also trying to uphold the standards God has set. They’re pretty high, and some days I just find myself laying on the ground, staring at the ceiling. But then I feel an urge, an energy, to get up and fight once again.

(Here’s my favorite part) I could use your help. The next time you see me behaving like a hypocrite, pull me aside and gently let me know. I’d really appreciate it.

Man, I love that! I so want to represent Christ well, but I know me, and I know only God can finish the work of perfecting me and that time hasn’t come yet. I fail every day. I’m going to keep trying though. And, I know I’m way more approachable for someone in admitting my common struggles than by standing off with my polished exterior and telling them they need to get right with God.