On Being Real

Since I’m already writing about things people have said, let me continue. It was this time last year that someone confronted me about a post I wrote about eating chocolate. The person was reprimanding me because as a health and fitness advocate I should be more aware of how what I post affects other people. In other words me having chocolate would make other people want chocolate. My response was that ninety percent of my posts about exercise and working out six days a week hasn’t necessarily made people work out more. Yes, I know. I was being smart-mouthed. I’m still waiting for the Lord to deliver me from that. Moving on I started thinking about something else I did and something I posted. I went to a birthday party at a club, and when I walked out of the bathroom I was singing the very raunchy lyrics. Again, I need deliverance. There was also a picture of me dancing in a short dress, and I told someone I want that to be my picture on a future book called “Church Girl.” I hope this post doesn’t offend my readers, but if anything I keep it real. I grew up in church. I have known church people my whole life. I stayed away from church for several years because I thought I was the worst sinner on the planet. I didn’t know that other church people sinned because that wasn’t the picture that was painted for me, so when I sinned greatly I stayed away. In recent years I sinned again…greatly. But this time I didn’t stay away from church. I cried, repented, and cried some more. I’m not going to say that I stopped looking at other people in the church, but I looked at them differently. I no longer gave them the power to judge me whether they knew my sin or not. This jacked up, sinful “church girl” was called to write for the glory of God, and even though I still feel like the worst sinner in the church on some days I am praying and trusting that God still sees me, loves me, and chooses me. What would change if we stopped holding people to higher standards than we keep for ourselves? I know that there are people who won’t grace the doors of a church building because they fear facing judgement. I can’t say that you won’t, but I can say don’t let other people’s opinions of who you are stop you. Any tugging to be a part of God’s house is a tugging from God. In fact Jesus said in John 12:32, “And I, if I am lifted up form the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” He didn’t say He would draw only the people that the church approves of. Jesus said all peoples. I am one of the “all peoples” and so are you. Come to the house. There’s a place for you.