Did you
know that there is a Biblical book called “Lamentations”? To lament means “to grieve or
passionately
express sorrow”. At first, a book dedicated to
the sadness that
God’s people are experiencing may seem odd, but it makes perfect
sense. How could God
address who we are and what we
go through if he did not deal with our struggles?
Acknowledging
sadness and imperfection seems strange to us simply because we do
it so
infrequently. We live in a
time where
people say things like “Live your best life” and then post a bunch
of pictures
online to show how much fun they are having, even when they are
not actually
having any fun at all. The
temptation to
present a fake impression of myself is very real. It is also very isolating,
because no one can
relate to someone who seems to have no problems, doubts or fears.
Sadly, this fake
version of
ourselves often follows us to church too.
We dress up and smile at one another.
We shake hands and say “How are you?” and everyone responds
“I am fine”
even when they are not. Preachers
sometimes
end up being the most fake person in the group, because they feel
that they must
not share their own worries or concerns.
In the end, everyone ends up pretending to be happy, when,
in fact, everyone
has trouble!
In
the
face of all of that, David takes a very different approach. He
writes, “I
waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy
pit, out of the
mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to
stand. He put a new song
in my mouth, a hymn of
praise to our God. Many
will see and
fear the Lord and put their trust in him” (Psalm 40:1-3).
By acknowledging
both his
struggles and as well as his hope, David comes off as a real
person. He reminds us that
down times do not last
forever and that God never abandons us. Best of all, his honestly
allows us to see our
own lives in a different, and better, way.
Things
are not always perfect in my life, but then again, I am not
without hope.
Real faith begins
when the
pretending ends.
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