Dancing in the Light

I John 1:7 "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin."

Name:
Location: North Platte, Nebraska, United States

I am a christian wife, mother and grandmother. I am a licensed Social worker and a licensed Christian counselor. I am most proud of the relationships I have with God, my family and friends all over the world. I have been blessed beyond my dreams.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Living My Facade

I sometimes wonder if we live Jesus, like we live on a movie set. I visited a set once and I couldn't believe how real it looked from the outside. The windows and doors really opened. Inside the furniture was real. You could even sit down on the couch, turn on the lamp and the television. It was pretty neat. It was like being inside a real house. But, the only reality was the front room and if you tried to go beyond the front room, you found you went nowhere. Each door simply went behind the set. They didn't lead to the bedroom or the kitchen. They didn't take you to the backyard. They didn't go anywhere. It was all a facade!!
It is so easy to be a Chrisitian at church!!!!Everyone in the room is singing, praying, listening to the Word and seemingly all on the same page. Most everyone is kind and friendly and we all act like we love each other. It is so easy to live Jesus in a stained glass set. Christianity seems so real. But, walk through the doors and the reality of Christianity is gone and we find we go nowhere.
I know y'all have heard all this before. You've heard sermons about putting on Chritianity like it is your Sunday clothes and then taking it off and putting it back in the closet. You've heard sermons about becoming Christlike daily. I know you have. So have I!!
But, sometimes I forget. Sometimes, when my feelings have been hurt or am upset, I become manipulative. I decide to use my facade to get even. I withdraw from those who I feel hurt me. I use my absence conspicuously so they will miss me and come, begging my forgiveness. Then magnanimously, I forgive them, assuring them I was really not upset with them, I was merely spending time alone with God. Sometimes, when I am angry, when my trust has been hurt, I find myself living my facade. I tell my friends how horrible the other person is, and then, using as many "church words" as I can, I remind them how spiritual I am, how strong my faith is and how I deserve so much better. Sometimes when I am tired, when I feel like I do all the work, I live my facade. With huge sighs and much murmuring I thrust the facade in everyone's face, letting them see how indispensable I am. Sometimes, when I want to make a really good impression, I wear my "church-Neva" everywhere. I speak (in a much softer voice) about Jesus and the Word. I smile and nod and pretend to listen to others. I invite them to church so they can be with me. The problem is when I live in facade, it is still a facade and I am still a fake. (notice how similar those two words are).
We would think a person so pathetic if they lived on a movie set. We would shake our heads and wonder how they be so simple they could not tell it was not a real home. We would wonder that they set their goals so low and chose to live in such a way. We would think this person less than intelligent, less than ambitious and very pathetic.
Christianity has to be more than a movie set. It has to be more than what we do. It has to be who we are. Otherwise it is simply a facade and living in our facade, well, that makes us nothing more than Pharisees ---going nowhere, fooling noone, and miserable in our fake reality.

Mt. 23 (from the Message by Eugene Peterson)
"You're hopeless . . .Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you are saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds."

Neva

9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

re-examining my life--thank you

Dan

8:31 AM  
Blogger Bill Williams said...

I've always been intrigued by this idea. My understanding is that a Christian is an adherent to Christ. While this speaks of a person's decision to follow Christ, it is becoming Christ-like that should be the ultimate goal of such a decision, indeed of our lives. This suggests a process, rather than an event. Your post really makes this clear.

Thanks for sharing these excellent thoughts!

-bill

8:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are always so hard on yourself.

You are not a whitewashed tomb, you are human. It's good to see yourself as you are, but 1 slip in 10,000 steps isn't beyond Gods grace, and dosen't make you phony.

11:29 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is oh so true. I will pray to do so much better. Thank-you.

12:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love it. Good post.

5:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Perfect description of how many of us live. Thank you for helping me to repent and do better.

Karli

5:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How do we live without it beinf a facade? Counselors often tell us fake it til you make it and then we get so used to faking it we dont know how we really feel. How do we make it real?

6:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think this is one of the things that makes it difficult for us to interact with each other. We can't tell who is real and who is not. I am glad God can tell the difference. I think you should write a post on Being Real.

I liked this one,
Jean

8:13 PM  
Blogger Traci said...

I think we will always use that facade to manipulate others because we are human but we also have to realize when we are doing it and stop. It's like the "do" verses in Romans. I wish I could do what I know pleases God but I end up doing what pleases me. (paraphrased) Thank God He knows our hearts!

3:50 PM  

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