The inspiration for this blog came from three separate events in the past month. That’s only the inspiration behind it though. The content of this blog has been building for the last…oh I don’t know…the last nine years? Some people would say it’s about dang time I got it out. I happen to agree.
But back to the events that led me here.
My husband and I had a meeting with a good friend of ours, the same friend who did some pre-marital counseling with us. While we were talking, the subject of church came up, and we started talking about what the church was missing. In a word…Authenticity. So it follows that since churches are made up of “Christians”…it’s us Christians who aren’t being very authentic. We’re not being real. Event number one.
While we were in Texas a few weeks ago, I had a chance to visit with my brothers. My younger brother, Lawrence is attending Bible School in Dallas, and has grown up considerably in his time there. To be frank, the kid’s smart. So while I’m visiting my baby brother, he starts to speak into my life. He can do this like nobody else can, because he’s also my best friend. And again, the kid’s got his head on his shoulders. He starts pushing me, asking me questions about my life…my relationships…my faith. He knows me better than almost anyone, an he was able to get straight to the heart of the matter. Basically, he told me to grow up, let things go, and move on. Event number 2.
A few days later, we rendezvous with my older “brother” and his family. Small talk permeated the visit, until we were about to leave. In the parking lot, under the blazing Texas sun, Phil wraps me in his arms and gives it to me straight.
“Don’t waste time being bitter Chelsea. You’ve got too much stuff inside you to waste. Get over it. Let it go. It’s not worth it.” Event number 3.
So what’s the big deal? How do these events coincide and bring us here today?
I’ve finally “seen the light”. I’m over missing out on what God has for me because I’m scared of being hurt. And I’m tired of rubbing my face in this pent up bitterness, like it’s this comforting thing. I’m not helping anyone by bottling this all up, including myself. So here I am, being real about it. Being authentic.
Yeah, you get it now right?
This blog is going to serve as a way for me to be an authentic Christian. To be real about the things I’ve been carrying for too long. I’m not gonna cover anything up, but rather get over my issues here, where everyone can see them. Not because I want your pity, or even your encouragement. What I want is to be real. I want to be honest in saying that I’m not okay, but I want to be. I want to be real and say that yeah, I'm a Christian and I love Jesus...but I'm hurting.
Maybe some of you have had the same hurts as me. Maybe you've already gotten over them, or are holding onto them too close, like me. Maybe this blog will encourage you, maybe not. Maybe it will just refresh you, give you hope in seeing that it's okay to be honest about the crap in your life.
Loving Jesus isn't like putting on a pretty mask to hide my ugly acne. I don't have to pretend that it isn't there. Rather, loving Jesus is like putting a big spot of bright blue medicine on every...single...pimple, and letting the people around me watch as it slowly clears up my skin.
Maybe some of you have had the same hurts as me. Maybe you've already gotten over them, or are holding onto them too close, like me. Maybe this blog will encourage you, maybe not. Maybe it will just refresh you, give you hope in seeing that it's okay to be honest about the crap in your life.
Loving Jesus isn't like putting on a pretty mask to hide my ugly acne. I don't have to pretend that it isn't there. Rather, loving Jesus is like putting a big spot of bright blue medicine on every...single...pimple, and letting the people around me watch as it slowly clears up my skin.
So here goes...
