“They do all their deeds to be seen by others”

Matthew 23:5a, ESV

Years ago, I attended a large church that occupied one corner of an intersection of two major roads. The staff jokingly referred to that intersection as “miracle corner.” It got his designation because a family could be screaming at each other in the car on the way to church but after going through that intersection, all their struggles seemed to magically go away. The church members were completely calm as they pulled into the parking lot of the church.

We can joke about such things, but the truth is that we all like to make ourselves seem a bit better than we actually are. If you doubt this, just look at the multi-billion dollar industry promoting cosmetics, creams, dyes, weight loss products, and surgical procedures all designed to make men and women look younger.

Think about it, on a given Sunday morning entering church, have you ever shaded the truth a bit when asked, “how are you?” Even when there are huge difficulties in your life do you feel pressured to respond with, “things are great,” or “better than I deserve,” or “I’m so blessed.”

What would happen if you asked someone how they are doing and they said, “I am really not doing well and I came here to find some hope”? Why do we not hear more of this in most churches?

Real life is messy. We don’t get it right all the time. We say hurtful things, people say hurtful things to us, sickness and death are realities, economic pressure can result in catastrophic turmoil. The world is often not a fun place.

Now, it certainly takes wisdom to know what to share and with whom it is safe to share it. So, I’m not saying that we blurt out all that we are struggling with. But certainly, we need to stop the pretense that we don’t have any struggles.

We need to stop wearing masks and be honest about who we are.

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