It's been tough lately
One of the great things about Scripture is that it doesn’t whitewash anyone or gloss over any less-than-perfect situations. Embarrassing and non-flattering moments are included alongside of impressive miracles. This is one of the evidences of the Bible being supernaturally inspired: given the number of people who contributed to the Scriptures over the 1500 years it took to write, you would really expect that some author – at some point – would try to minimize their mistakes and/or failings.
But that’s not what we see. Instead, we find the heroes of the Bible don’t always act like perfect heroes. We find them lying, cheating, and betraying each other. We find them doubting God and His goodness. Sometimes, we even find them saying really stupid things or just wanting to get away from it all. Here is just a short list of examples (which would be easy to make into a long list):
· Adam and Eve had the literal perfect life, and lost it because they thought God was holding out on them (Genesis 3).
· Jacob leveraged his family members’ weakened conditions against them so he could get what he wanted (Genesis 26-27).
· Jonah flat-out told God “No.” and ran away (Jonah 1).
· David wasn’t where he was supposed to be, which led him to an affair with someone he wasn’t supposed to be with (2 Samuel 11).
· John Mark deserted his fellow missionaries in the middle of the mission trip. He just up and left them hanging (Acts 13).
· After the biggest single-day success of his career as God’s prophet, Elijah fell into loneliness and deep depression (1 Kings 18-19).
· Noah got drunk and passed out, and his kids had to take care of him (Genesis 9).
· On his watch, Aaron went along with a rebellion against his brother Moses and against God. He even formed the golden calf “god” himself (Exodus 32).
· Samuel, a great prophet of Israel, failed completely as a father. While his sons were in the ministry, they were all corrupt and took bribes. They used their religious positions for personal gain. (1 Samuel 8).
· One day, Peter came to the conclusion that he needed a break. He decided to leave for a while and go fishing (John 21).
Since the Bible doesn’t hide the flaws and failings of the people of God, I don’t think that we should work so hard to project a “perfect Christian” image. It’s an easy trap to fall into, though. We tell ourselves I don’t have the time to tell them the full story…or…they have their own issues and shouldn’t have to deal with ours, too…or…I’m embarrassed because I’ve been a Christian too long to be struggling with this thing…or…others would look down on us for getting stuck on this sin…or…<insert your own excuse here>
When was the last time someone asked you, “How are you doing?”, and you gave an answer other than “I’m good.”? But we have the insider information on ourselves, don’t we? We’re fully aware of which parts aren’t “good” and where we’re struggling.
So, in the interest of openness…I’ll admit that it’s been hard for me lately. Of all the things you could imagine that I struggle with, your least-likely guess is my frustration…I’m having difficulty putting in the effort to study the Scriptures. Ironic, right? The guy who teaches the Bible is having difficulty with wanting to put in the effort to understand the Bible. This isn’t a “because of COVID” thing either, it’s been a on-again-off-again struggle for a very long while.
I don’t write this looking for your sympathy. I’m not asking for a prayer vigil. I admit this to you because I want you think about how you look at your pastors and teachers. Just because we write/teach/preach God’s big ideas and partner with God to bring His truths to your attention…this doesn’t mean that we have everything else in our lives perfectly together or that we don’t also struggle in our walk with God.
Sometimes this living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) wants to crawl off the altar, check out of my responsibilities, and just coast for a while. I get tired of daily taking up my cross (Luke 9:23) where “self” is to be crucified, and honestly, on somedays…I just don’t pick it up. When talking about this blog, I have readily told people that I do not write because I am some super-spiritual, strong-Christian type…instead, I believe that God has me write this blog because I am too weak to not have this teaching responsibility. Part of what keeps me in the Word is knowing I’m accountable to you all on a weekly basis – whether I feel like reading God’s Word or not. If I wasn’t doing this ministry work, I’m not sure how much (or how little) time I would spend in the Scriptures. And without God’s voice being intentionally and regularly added to my life, I am unable to withstand the constant barrage of the world’s messaging, distractions, and lies. This teaching work God has given me is as much for me as it is for you. While my struggle with studying Scripture is not an “always every day” struggle, it’s definitely there…don’t let a well-written, regularly-delivered email suggest to you otherwise.
So, let’s not hide our struggles from each other. Let’s not pretend to be the perfect Christian; after all, those don’t exist. Talk to your spouse about where you are in your walk with God. Speak with a good friend. Find a Christian counselor, if need be. When you think about your pastor or Bible teacher, don’t assume that their walk with God is easier than yours or that they don’t have struggles. Instead, let’s all take to heart the encouragement given by the author of Hebrews:
Hebrews 12:1-2
…let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Persevering in whatever ministry God has given us will keep us on track for God’s will in our lives now and eternal rewards in the life to come. Even when we struggle. Even when we don’t feel like it. Even when we admit to not having it all together.
Keep Pressing,
Ken