Facades of perfection actually shed a negative light on Jesus.  A church with only fixed people isn’t the church Jesus died for.   – Josh Ross, Scarred Faith

If you are headed to church this weekend, do 2 things.  First, look in the mirror and make sure you aren’t dressing in a facade of perfection.  Then, when you get to church, look around you for people who might be dressed in facades of perfection and let them know you love them.

For years, I went to church a facade of perfection because I didn’t think I would be liked, much less loved, otherwise.  The facade worked so well that when my life fell apart people where shocked, either scared to talk to me or talking too much and saying all the wrong things.  I just needed to know they loved me as I was, a mess, a wreck of a person who had lost peace, joy and hope.

There have been times I have found more realness in a creek bed talking to homeless people than I did at the big building open on Sundays for happy, well-dressed people.  I know it because I was one of them for so long…and still slide back to that mold from time to time.

Does this sound familiar?  “How are you?”  “I’m fine.  How about you?”  “Great.  I played golf yesterday and plan on kicking back and watching the football game today.”  What if the conversation went down this way?  “How’s your heart today?”  “Today is tough.  My marriage is on the rocks and I don’t see a way out of the debt we have right now.  I’m scared.”  “Let’s step over here and pray but before we do that, tell me how I can help you?”

The truth is we spend more time wondering if women’s body parts are real than who we will be.  It’s a good question for people saying they are Christian.  Are they real?

Grace and peace.