Day 139 - False Spirituality
Scripture focus: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16 NIV
Frank and Cathy attended church faithfully for years. Frankie attended Sunday School classes, Vacation Bible School and Youth Group. He sang in the choir. He played church basketball - until things started going wrong. How strange - some families end up leaving church at a time when they need God and his people the most. I'm not judging churches! I'm not even sure how to suggest churches change. I'm saying - this happens AND I wonder why. Frank has some suppositions about what it means to be a spiritual person - and he's pretty darn sure his wife isn't following protocol. A heated conversation about why Cathy feels that she must separate from Frank proves to be too painful and Frank does what most of us do when deeply wounded - he takes his shot. "But we are Christians! We are told to love through sickness and health, for richer or poorer, 'til death do us part!"
"Frank, listen to me. You haven't cared about our Christian principles in a long time. Why start now?"
"What? Now you're going to tell me you're leaving me because I stopped going to church? Church is filled with a bunch of hypocrites!"
"Frank, I'm not talking about your church attendance record! I'm talking about us - you and me - living out our faith authentically. I'm sick of our false spirituality! Loving God means trying to figure out how to love his people, and letting his people love us. You got your feelings hurt because the youth minister came to us and shared his concern about Frankie. That's when you stopped going to church! Admit it. You got embarrassed that the church people figured out that our family isn't perfect! But didn't you listen to what Mark (the youth guy) said? His daddy was an alcoholic; Mark himself is in recovery! He offered us resources. He told us how he loved our kid too much to ignore his bad behaving! You threw him out on his ear! And what about when Frankie vandalized our neighbor's car? He thought the neighbor had reported him to the police, and he retaliated. What did you do, Frank? You stuck up for Frankie! Frankie was wrong, and you know it. Christians, above all others, know that if they're wrong, they can make amends. You didn't even give Frankie the chance to take personal responsibility and follow biblical principles of reconciliation! Christians understand the power of forgiveness - and restitution. Frank, don't you see - we're the ones acting like hypocrites - and I can't live like this anymore!"
Cathy and Frank are living a life of "messy spirituality" (a term used by Mike Yaconnelli in his book, Messy Spirituality). Consider James 5:16, today's scripture focus. It hasn't occurred to Frank that this verse is unnecessary if faithful church attendance cures us of our humanity. Frank has some rules and preconceived notions about what it means to be a Christian. His family isn't following the rules. His son's choices and his deepest fears have triggered a crisis of faith - and Frank is no longer sure who God is and how he should relate to him. He stops attending church. He blames this lapse on the church. I so wish we could all give up the nasty habit of assigning blame when what we really need is a good cry and a big hug from people who love us - within the pegs.
How about you? Are you in the process of becoming the kind of person who could love others - even when they're messy?
Recommended reading: 1 Samuel 20 and 21 in the morning; Psalm 113 and 114 in the evening
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