Church on Sunday. Life on Monday.

I was told recently that a reason to stop going to church is the church is filled with fakes, people that act one way in the church and then act a completely different way during the week. I'm guessing this is a struggle for many people, on a variety of levels.

Psychologists will tell you that when you're busy pointing out someone else's faults it's a sign of your own insecurities; holding up a mirror to yourself. There are times when I'm at church and I feel as if people look at me and wonder "who does she think she is?!" Sometimes I feel completely unlovable, completely unforgivable and completely unable to hold my head high and say God loves me. Sometimes I wonder if I should just skip church and stay home, hiding from the world. I struggled with that more in past, but I'd be lying if I said it never crossed my mind.

I wish I could stand up just once in church and start pointing at people and telling the room their "secret". I wish people would stop just long enough to realize the church is filled people...and people screw up daily. I wish people would realize that you don't have to be perfect before you can go to church and I surely wish people would stop pretending like they have it all together and everyone else sucks.

I don't like it when someone comes to church and puts on a show, acting all "churchy" only to turn around a live a totally different life during the week. Have a conversation with them in church and they talk about God, talk to them outside of church and it's totally void of God. Church on Sunday. Life on Monday. Gag. I get why that bothers people, but I don't think those people should be what keeps you from going to church and growing as a Christian. That's only hurting yourself!

I'm going to make it part of my mission in life to force people to be honest regardless of where you are. Talk about your struggles, talk about God, talk about the life you'd like to live. Be. Honest. Please don't stop going to church because someone is shallow enough to try and make you feel you must live up to their standard of Christian. Please don't stop going to church because you feel unlovable or like a complete failure. Please don't stop going to church because you don't know how to do blend all of life with how you feel Sunday's while worshiping in a place where it's easy to talk about God. Please.

I challenge us all to be more honest, be more open, be more real. I encourage you to hold your head high regardless of what you "think" you deserve, grace my friends is about the exact opposite. Don't live two lives, that's way to much work. Be you, every where you are. And if you can't...then change it, but don't stop going to church and seeking God!

I challenge us Christ Followers to stop making people feel like they have to hide who they are in order to please us, to make us feel better. Because that's what it's all about...you're forcing them to be fake cause you can't handle the truth of who they are in the moment. Well, it's not about you...as a Christ Follower it's about Christ and it's about them. Not you. Get over yourself and love people where they are damn it!

Let's stop doing church on Sunday and life on Monday. Let's stop feeling like we can't go before God just as we are. Let's stop making others feel they suck more than we do. Let's stand in church as one large group who desperately needs God and needs one another....