Being REAL at Church

Ideally, I probably shouldn't say "Being real AT Church" as much as "Being real AS the Church". But I actually am referring to the habit in which many of us are stuck come Sunday mornings. When we wake up and get all "pretty" for Church we walk into our sanctuaries (or wherever your community may gather) and we pretend that everything is so good with our lives. When people say, "Hi, how are you doing?" our automatic response is, "Good, how are you?" The problem is, we go through these motions whether we've just had the best week of our lives or the WORST! Why can't we be REAL at church?

As a worship pastor I've heard a line used time and time again (in fact, I've used it many times myself): "Lord, help us to leave everything at the door this morning and focus on You." Maybe you've never heard this before or approached church with a "leave all the crud of life at the door" mentality, but for some of us it is way too familiar. When we "leave it at the door", however, we cannot possibly be REAL, not only with each other, but also with God.

Instead of "leaving it at the door" we need to "bring it in" and praise God in spite of everything that's tearing us apart and dragging us down. How much more does a worship song mean when it isn't isolated from the context of our everyday lives? When we can actually put the words of a song into the fabric of our family life, work life, social life, etc., then we allow God to see how we're REALLY feeling. When we are still able to praise our Creator in spite of the struggles of our life then we are learning what it means to rely on God in faith.

Just something that's been on my mind...