Churches Are All Flawed
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. -- Ephesians 4:29
The other day a wonderful man told me how better to do my job. He was only trying to help. Having participated in the activity one time, he knew exactly how I should do what I’ve been doing for many, many years.
I smiled into the phone and listened. No. I don’t plan to follow his advice. It would take too much time and resources and really not accomplish what he things it would. He doesn’t know that because, well, he’s only done it once. Still, I appreciate that he meant well.
He reminds me of those who move from church to church to church. No church ever meets their expectations, so they simply move on. They rarely stay in one place more than a few weeks. It’s too easy to find fault.
The truth is that no church will ever meet all of our expectations. Why? Because churches are made up of people who are flawed and imperfect. We mess up on a regular basis. We squabble. We say the wrong thing. We don’t say the right thing.
One thing I have noticed is that the people who church shop, as some call it, never seem to spend much time talking about God. Is He present in the churches they visit? Do they learn about Him in the messages they hear? Do they feel His Spirit in the songs they sing?
Why do we attend church? To worship God and to fellowship with other believers, to learn and grown as Christians. One women mentioned how valuable it is to get to know other believers and become part of a church family. Otherwise, you’re just looking at the surface that people show the world rather than seeing the brokenness each of us hide inside.
Because we all are flawed and broken in one way or another. And we all have strengths and goodness within us. As we band together in worship, as we bond in friendship and companionship, we learn and grown in Christ. Flaws and all.
It’s just so easy to do something once or twice and immediately start trying to fix what’s broken. It’s not so easy to stick around and work together to fix the broken pieces and celebrate the whole ones. It’s not so easy to ride the dark storm and to celebrate the blazing sun.
We want to participate in the good and criticize or move on when situations bring us to the valley. But when we journey together, we each become stronger and smarter and better than we ever thought possible. I’m thankful for my church family, flaws and all. And I’m grateful that they welcomed me into their lives, without first needing to check out my past or fix what they saw was broken.
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