Church gone WILD?

Yes, CHURCH GONE WILD!

For the longest time, I believed that other Christians had attained the perfect life (or at least one closer to perfection than mine) that I had always dreamed of and could never quite get to (and it's a daily battle, tearing down this lie gone wild in my mind...).

They'd "made it". They had the perfect relationship. They had a family who actually was as endlessly happy as the permanent smiles that graced their picture-perfect Facebook photos (#blessed). They were eternally confident and always handled things coolly and wisely. They never had arguments. They were able to succeed in life a little bit more than I was, and (to add to the pile of lies in my mind), my failures were completely transparent to the entire world (which in my younger mind was a very bad thing).

...and on the other end of the spectrum of Christians? Well, they were the people I knew I didn't want to be (and was so desperately trying to differentiate myself from). I've come back down to reality in recent years and have come to really appreciate reminders of just how messed up we all are and yet how unconditionally loved we are despite it.

So, when, at the start of our current sermon series, I first heard the title, "Church Gone Wild", I couldn't help but laugh with excitement.

YES. Give me the juicy stuff! Tell me how imperfect I am and how stinkin' much I need Jesus! Break down any teensy, weensy, SHRED of pride I've built up in my heart, thinking I've been able to "make it" on my own. Erase any stroke of judgment I may paint in my mind towards another. Remind me of the good news, because, I have to say, the good news never gets old!

I've grown tremendously in my maturity and walk with Christ, and am only just coming to terms with the idea that I will never quite make it (and the perfectionist in me cringes at the thought...) to wherever my humanness tends to think I "should" be. And while it is incredibly uncomfortable, diving into the truth of our wilderness as broken people is so refreshing. The burden of perfection is taken from the loads we try to carry. Grace is given so freely and our imperfection is covered by Christ's love for us.

So, I challenge you to challenge yourself: What lies have you let run wild in your head? What transparent, vulnerable truths can you replace them with when you present yourself to the world?

Let's let LOVE run wild in a world gone wild!