Today's Sunday Thought was actually written on March 5th, 2006. I was going through some of my old journal entries and school essays, and I found this one in a dusty box at the back of my closet. We (the students) had been asked to write a short assignment describing a misconception we believed people have about what it means to be Christian ... and we'd also been asked to share what we would say to people who believe that misconception if we ever got the chance.
Last week, I wrote about my struggles with perfection. In 2006, I wrote that I believed one of the biggest misconceptions people (both inside and outside the church) have about being Christian is that Christians are suppose to be perfect. I wrote that I would remind people who believe this lie that God loves us & has great plans for our lives despite our imperfections. I thought I would share what I wrote back in 2006 ... re-reading it really helped me and maybe it will help you, too.
Usefulness is not impaired by imperfection. You can still drink from a chipped cup.
- Greta K. Nagel
For an outsider looking in, the church probably seems like a pretty scary place. We've all heard the stereotypes before. Christians are goody two-shoes ... Christians have this "holier than thou" attitude ... Christians judge everyone ... Christians try and shove rules and regulations down your throat. Christians don't this ... Christians don't do that. Even some self-professed Christians buy into this warped, conventionalized idea of Christianity. Without realizing it, they believe that image is everything and that in order to be truly spiritual you have to be perfect. They believe that God's love for them depends on what they do, and so rather than focusing on a their beliefs and their relationship with Christ, they focus on the trivial things like how to dress, how often to pray, how much money to give to the church, how to impress the other members of their congregation, etc. Because they are so caught up in making themselves perfect, they tend to become incredibly critical of those around them. They begin to treat unwed mothers with scorn. They shun those who dress a little differently or who experiment with funky hair colors. They view criminals as lost causes. Rather than reaching out to people in need, they run in the opposite direction, scared of having their picture perfect image forever tainted. "They're sinners," they gossip to one another. In the Christian community, this obsession with perfection is known as religious legalism.
I am far from being an expert on the subject of legalism in the church, but I do know this : it's not what Jesus was about. Jesus preached that we are ALL sinners. It doesn't matter if you have never killed anybody, or if you have never stolen anything, or if you have never cheated on your spouse. You're still a sinner. It doesn't matter if you pray sixty times a day, or if you give all your money to the poor, or if you always apologize every time you do something wrong. You're still a sinner. Why? Because Jesus says that our thoughts are just as important as our actual actions. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us that if a man even looks at a woman lustfully, he has committed a sin with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28). When I read that verse, the words really spoke to me. He has committed a sin with her in his heart. Even if that man tries his hardest not to give into temptation... even if turns away from the woman and doesn't pursue anything with her... even if he never thinks of her again : in his heart, he has sinned.
The same applies to us. We can try as hard as we want to please God. We can always do the "right thing" but we will never be able to always think the right thing.
Luckily for us, Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. For ALL of our sins. For the sins that are visible to the world ... like murder, like stealing, like adultry. And also for the sins that only our hearts know of ... like our thoughts, our intentions and our desires. "He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5)
Because of Jesus' selfless act for humanity, we do not have to struggle with trying to be perfect. Don't get me wrong ... I think it's great to strive to become the best you can possibly be, and I think it's crucial to God's plan for your life ... but I also think it's essential to understand that God wants to use you RIGHT NOW!! God has something special in mind for you right now, at this very minute, just as you are. God sees you as perfectly imperfect, and He wants to use you ... all of you. Your good qualities and your bad little habits. He doesn't want to sit around and wait for you to become this perfect little church-goer. That'll take forever because nobody can ever be perfect!!! God wants to use you just as you are. And once you let Him take control of your life, you will see how quickly you begin to transform into the person He knows you can be.
Don't believe me? Just look at Moses.
No one can deny that Moses was a sinner. In fact, Moses was a murder. In the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus, we hear how he killed an Egyptian and buried his body in the sand. Knowing the king of Egypt would have him arrested and killed for his crime, he fled to the land of Midian. Years later, when Moses was taking care of sheep near Mount Sinai, he had a conversation with God. The Bible tells us that : When the Lord saw Moses was coming to look at the bush, God called out to him from the bush, "Moses, Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am"
Then God said, "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your ancestors – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. ( Exodus 3:1-5)
God continued to speak to Moses, and eventually Moses got over his fear of facing God. He voiced his concerns to God, and God listened and gave him advice. God spoke of all the wounderful plans He had in store for Moses' life... and Moses begged God to send somebody else. They went back and forth, talking and debating, Moses making excuses and God refusing to back down. Finally, Moses gave over control. And what happened? God used Moses to do unbelievable things. Moses led the Israelites out of Egpyt and through the wilderness, recieved the Ten Commandments, built the Ark of the Covenant, witnessed miracles.
Just like God called out to Moses, He is calling out to you. He is calling out to me. He knows you are far from perfect. He knows you will never be perfect. But God doesn't want you to cover your face and be scared of Him. He wants you to repent, to trust, and to give up control.
He wants to use you. So, just like Moses, it is time for us to answer "Here I am."
