Many years ago, I went through a dreadful experience with a person who decided to make me his enemy. I still don’t know why he had it in for me. It remains a mystery. Nevertheless, it occurred.
(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)
This individual decided to make my life miserable.
- He watched my every move.
- He questioned my decisions.
- He cast doubts on my ministry.
- This person applied pressure, sometimes to the point where I thought I would scream.
I don’t know how much he said to others about his opinion of me; I never asked. But he said enough to me and was bullying and intimidating enough that I became frightened, especially when I realized he carried a gun!
Eventually, on one occasion, he even threatened me with it.
Everybody hurts. But not everybody lives such honest and vulnerable lives that they admit the pain. Why? Because, most often, there isn’t a safe place to do so. The church should be that place (second only to the home). Regrettably, it isn’t.
(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)
I heard of a research study where psychologists discovered the top three places where average people “fake it.”
- We tend to put on airs when we visit the lobby of a fancy hotel.
- We typically fake our true feelings alongside the salesperson at a new-car showroom.
- Can you guess the third place we wear a mask? That’s right. In church!
Tragically, in church where authenticity should be modeled, we’ll paint on the phony smiles, slap backs, and shake hands, all the while masking what’s inside our hearts.
In reality . . . we’re hurting.
