Be Real with God
“We must lay before him what is in us; not what ought to be in us.”
― C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer
Only when we are authentic with God can we be authentic Christians. Yes, you read that correctly. And no, those are not necessarily the same. Writing from personal experience, it's easy to project a Christian image—an image that tells people I’m spiritually healthy and able to minister to others at the drop of a hat even when I was not.
During this time, I discovered that my faith was like Swiss cheese, full of holes. It hadn't always been that way. I had allowed life to punch holes in my faith. This made me feel ashamed. I tried to let on, even to God, that I was okay, but it was impossible to trick God. His love won't let us stay that way.
There came a time when I said my doubts and anger out loud to God. He probably said, "Finally!" It was a breakthrough for me. I finally had room in my soul to commune with Jesus. This makes me think of something God said by the prophet Isaiah, "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord1"
Let’s not delay in bringing our fears, doubts, or anger to God. Let's always lay before God what is actually within us. He loves that. He can work with that.
Footnotes
Isaiah 1:18a - English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved November 3, 2024, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%201%3A18&version=ESV