When Someone at your Church Acts like a Turkey

This post is for church goers.

It´s for those who have been offended by someone´s behavior in church or on church property.

I am writing this post because sometimes we need to discuss these very human and common experiences in church life. Some things just need to be said.

Church is full of humans. Not humanoids, not robots....but flesh and blood humans.

Of course it can hurt when someone offends you in your own church. You are a human being with a soft heart.....of course you are going to get your feelings hurt sometimes. If you never were disappointed or offended in some way, I would wonder if you were truly human. To be human is to feel . To be human is to experience all kinds of feelings, not just the happy feelings.....and that is ok. I believe that part of God´s healing power in us shows up in melting our stony hearts so that we can feel deeply again. Feeling deeply is a blessing....even when sometimes the emotions we feel include feeling hurt or disappointed.

Church is no different than any other public place filled with human beings. The difference is that we may have different expectations for behavior in church spaces. We expect kindness, gentleness, generosity and a certain amount of familiarity, especially if it is a church that we attend regularly and consider a significant part of our lives.

Here comes the hard part. Sometimes we go to church without getting a chance to prepare our hearts to worship God. We lose focus on why we go to church. We start looking at the people in the church instead of tuning our hearts in a spiritual way towards our Maker. 

We may have been in a rush to get there on time....we may have lost one sock out of a pair of socks, and could´t find the car keys.... or realize that when we got in the car, that we were out of gas. Maybe the cat missed the litter box. It happens.

 Perhaps we had hoped to bring a generous gift to the church only to realize that we didn´t have any money that day to give. We didn´t want to come to church empty handed, but that is how life rolled that day. Life, just like church life,... is sometimes full of  disappointments, hasty occasions, and awkward experiences.

When I was a teenager, I recall showing up at school with a dryer sheet sticking out the bottom of my pant leg. How embarrassing! But I survived and now giggle about it. So too, all kinds of embarrassing things can happen at church. Sometimes we just have to grin and bear it and carry on. Don´t let something silly keep you from attending church to worship your God.

There are a million different reasons why we may arrive at church in a ¨less than ideal¨ frame of mind. But that doesn´t make it hurt less when we experience a ¨less than friendly¨ event. Just knowing and acknowledging our human frailty makes us more understanding of those who may act out. Sometimes folks are going through things, things that we don´t know about and can´t possibly understand.

 As much as it may be very difficult to do ... sometimes we just need to let things go..... We can choose to overlook an insult and accept a lame excuse for rude behavior. 

 Sometimes we need to learn how to not hang on to an offense, even when the experience really hurt or offended us. To  let go of any offense, doesn´t mean it didn´t happen. To overlook an offense, just means we are disciplining our hearts and not reacting to someone´s bad behavior. We are choosing to be gracious and to keep our eyes on the prize. Who is the prize? Who is the prize? Your holy God....Jesus.

Churches are full of human beings, living in an imperfect world.

Chin up, brothers and sisters, you will make it through. You will still belong to the Kingdom of God, even if you experience something imperfect in a church space. And the beautiful thing is....is when we choose to forgive someone else for their insensitivity, we will also be forgiven for our own mistakes. Grace begets more grace. Forgiveness begets more forgiveness.

So maybe someone uttered something under their breath that you weren´t supposed to hear. Maybe someone didn´t greet you politely. Maybe someone didn´t show proper respect for the contributions, financial or otherwise... that you have given into the church. Maybe someone forgot your name or your child´s name. Maybe they spelled it wrong. Perhaps someone didn´t acknowledge an event in your life that you thought they should have remembered. It happens. You will survive. Don´t give up on God or on being a part of His kingdom just because you have noticed some failings.

Maybe someone that you have been praying for...for months, cuts you off in the parking lot. Maybe they didn´t hold the door open for you or a family member. Maybe they cut short your conversation to go talk to someone else. Maybe they ignored you...or didn´t return your phone call. Maybe they didn´t respond to your attempt at a friendly greeting. You will survive. You will get over it.

It just might be time to pray. If you are a sensitive person, you may feel things more deeply than others do. Since you are a person of faith, you have a Spiritual  Savior that you can speak to about this or some other awkward church event. Talk it over in your prayer time with your God. He can hear you. He loves you. He cares.

He just may give you an understanding of what went on that day....or He might say...¨Trust Me my child, because  there is so much at stake right now¨. Stay peaceful. Don´t give up your place in His kingdom. Stay humble.

Now, I must mention the other side of this issue....just to be fair.

 There are times, where, if you have experienced something really bad at church, that you need to speak up. You may start by speaking with your spouse or your parent, or a good friend about the situation. You may need to go to one of the church leaders and get their perspective on what has gone on. Is there something going on that needs to be addressed by church leadership? Is your safety or the safety of another church member under threat?

Some things are important and not to be overlooked. Try to handle sensitive issues in a respectful and confidential manner, without putting your own safety at risk.

Pray for God´s wisdom. Pray to discern what you should overlook and what must be addressed. Wisdom is the principal thing.

Lastly, I think of the verse.....

Matthew 18:21 and 22 (ESV)

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

In closing. Whether what you have experienced in church was good or bad or a mixture of both, I pray that you will be given the grace to carry on. I pray that you will be given the spiritual power to observe the bible verse pasted above.....and be able to forgive all,....both small or great offenses. For those of you who have been offended more than once, I pray that you will have the power, the raw spiritual power, to forgive fully and completely...so that your heart will become free and healthy enough to live fully and laugh with joy. I pray that you will be able to experience every good thing that God has for you and your family.

I pray that you will carry on and not give up on being a part of the modern church family. We are on a journey together whether we like it or not. We are aiming for Heaven.

Peace, my brothers and sisters....thanks for listening.

Carla.

When A Leader has Lost His Authority

I had noticed..... the words were similar, similar to what I had heard from the same pastor years ago....and yet something was different.

Years ago, when I would listen to a certain preacher, I would be rapt with attention. I would take note of the principles he was teaching and chew on them mentally and spiritually for days....weeks ...months, even years.

A few months ago, I heard that same preacher preach and the words lacked any kind of sense of authority. I was a tad bewildered. What had changed? Was it me? Probably....Was it the preacher? Maybe....maybe not. Maybe my spiritual journey was different now than it was years ago. I suppose I had to give myself permission to change and grow.

As in Ecclesiates chapter 3..... there really is a time and season for all things that God encourages. Perhaps this too was occurring in my spiritual walk for a purpose.

I suppose there is a rosy phase we go through when we think that nothing a preacher can do could possibly be less than angelic....until we come to grips with the fact that we are living in an imperfect world. While we may experience ¨heaven on earth¨ when we sense God´s presence.....we need to be grounded enough not to fall when we don´t feel so quite so comfy, cozy and sweet. 

When we feel that we are no longer being fed adequately by a certain church leader, it is up to us to ask God to lead us to the spiritual meat that we are meant to consume... And yes, that always leads to the bible.

Sorry to be so boring about this...but it needs to be said. You want to be strong in your christian walk? You want to learn to stand on your proverbial feet? You need to dig into the bible in whatever format you are able to consume it....visually or through audio formats. It isn´t just a one time snack....a hobby you pursue once in a blue moon.  For Believers, the bible is a lifetime dancing resource, that may become  a part of the fabric of one´s life. In season and out of season, the word of God stands alone. He does not ask for our approval. He simply is.

It is non-negotiable. So, instead of playing favorites finding a trendy pastor or preacher of the day, become a cheerleader of the One who wrote the book, God Himself. Follow God with your heart, with whatever means you can and are able to.

You don´t need to fall apart if your pastor misses the mark in his/her sunday sermon. You don´t need to start skipping church the because some sermons have lost their zing. 

You can stand and pray. Pray for your pastor or pastors, whomever they are..... male or female. Pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to rest upon them. Pray for their access to God´s Word, for their minds to be opened to the holy bible.

You can take your favorite hard copy of the bible to church with you, no matter if they have bibles on a back table or not, or even in the pews. The presence of a bible in your hand says something in the spiritual realm. I have seen it. People tread differently in your presence when you have a bible in your hand.

Learn to trust God´s Spirit. Ask Him for His leadership. Proverbs 3:6 says ¨in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight¨.

Brothers and sisters, we are human, and sometimes we put preachers and pastors on impossible pedestals. We think that they can do no wrong. But our faith is in our Heavenly Father who sent his Son Jesus to redeem us and feed us and lead us by His Spirit. We are strong in God and sometimes we need to 

abide in prayer for our leaders. Perhaps I shouldn´t say ¨sometimes¨. Perhaps we should ALWAYS be in prayer for our leaders. Pray for their health and wealth and character. Pray for their spouse and for their children. Plead the blood of Jesus over their family and their investments. Pray that their incomes will be secure. Pray for their safety and peace of mind. Pray for protection upon them from the wolves.

And when you sense that things are not quite as anointed as they used to be....try not to point fingers....but do... dig deeper into God, deeper into His Word, and stand strong. Stand strong by kneeling regular. Strength is born in confident humility. We walk under God´s command, not our own. As much as  I love democracy...(and voting day is always a happy privilege)...I realize that there is no democracy in heaven. God rules....and His authority has no end.

Well, that´s all for today, friends. May your spirit be blessed this friday, as we approach the weekend. May your hearts be secure in the love of your Heavenly father. May your minds be secure in the foundations God has built into your life.

Peace,

Carla.

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