Why Are We Faking It?

Sometimes we talk about it like its easy. We plaster a smile on our face and go into church like everything is nice and neat with a pretty little bow tied on top. Besides, it's that season. We fake it because we're "supposed to be smiling" at Christmastime.

Let's be honest, today was one of those days for me. I didn't want to go to church this morning. Wow, yes, me... the "super Christian" wanted to stay in bed and sleep. I've been going so fast lately, and I selfishly felt like I haven't had anytime for myself.

When I got to church, Pastor Larry talked about true authenticity... it's not until now that I am processing fully what he meant: Jesus doesn't teach a "fake it till you make it" sermon. He doesn't say tie yourself up like a nice little present and then come to me. Jesus says, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28)." Then, to make his point clear, he hung out with the ones who didn't have it all together! In a sense, Jesus says, "I'll meet YOU where you're at... and bring you to a better place." Bring your selfishness, your bad attitude, tiredness, burdens, and frustrations to the cross and let me change your heart.

So what am I doing pretending like I have it all together when I don't? No one wants to go to church with a hypocrite... so I need to stop acting like one. I'm laying down the super Christian title for one that's more accurate and honest: "Blood-bought and grace-taught."

Garments of Praise-

I went shopping with Alexa and my mom yesterday and was struck by the materialism in my world. We were stopped by a foreign man wanting desperately to sell a straightener. Each time I would refuse to buy, he would lower the price a little more to keep me interested. I wondered to myself, "How low would this price continue to go just to keep me here?" When he got to his lowest offered price he begged me not to tell my friends.

Faith isn't cheap (Hebrews 11:17-19). God doesn't lower the price for me (Hebrews 12:3-4) and tell me not to tell my friends. In fact, He asks me to give EVERYTHING I have, and tell everyone I know (Mark 16:15-16)! I don't have to pretend that accepting Christ is easy or cheap. It isn't cheap for me (Romans 13:11-14), and it wasn't cheap for Christ (John 19:30).

Don't offer to God that which costs you nothing (2 Samuel 24:24).

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship