Sometimes we can get so confused.
Everyone thinks you should keep your troubles or struggles to yourself.
We hide our sin or pain from the people around us. This makes us fake. I like to think of it as Legos. We put on our little plastic Lego faces pretending like everything is okay. We have different faces for every occasion.
We don't talk to our friends about the thing we are struggling with this week. Our friendships are just skin deep. You don't tell people your problems, and they don't tell you theirs.
This isn't a picture of the Church.
I read and hear people say that they leave their 'baggage' at the doors of church.
NO!
Don't do that. You do that and you lie to yourself. You lie to everyone else around you. If you leave your troubles at the doors, how are people supposed to help you? You leave it at the door and just pretend everything is okay? Why? I can tell you why...people in some churches don't have good relationships with each other. They don't hold each other accountable. When you don't hold each other accountable, it can get bad really fast...a recent turn of events in the IFB movement has proved that.
The people in the church are supposed to build relationships, and disciple each other in their walk with Christ. They aren't supposed to hide stuff from each other and put up a fake front, changing their Lego heads. We are supposed to help each other. This is why here we do small groups. Small groups are a close-knit group of friends that worship Christ together and disciple each other. We hold each other accountable. That, is very important for everyone. If you are 'higher' in the church, it doesn't mean you are exempt from it. You need help and someone to hold you accountable too.
We need to help each other as we walk through life...not just 'smile and nod' when troubles or struggles come our way. If we talk to each other, grow together and grow closer to God, we will be able to help others better than if we put up the fake front.
So, do me a favor, don't leave your baggage at the door. Use Legos to play with your kids or siblings, not your life. Create deep relationships with Christian friends and have accountability partners.
~tJf~
