The number of times I hear someone tell me about a "bad Christian" or a "bad church" story. Sigh.
Real stories. These aren't fiction. And some of them preach or work at the church.
So we've got people that are hurting and searching. And my suggestion of prayer is met with an eye roll, the memory of a bad experience that made prayer and God and Jesus a sham.
I hate it, but I get it.
It's about credibility. It's about trust.
So here's an idea, skip the middle man. Don't go to that church. Don't hang with those people.
Just Pray. Go directly to the Source. Cut out the sinners and the fakes.
It's like the great business with a good owner and they hire a really bad manager or rotten employees that run people off. This is what happens at church too. So stop arguing with the employee at the counter, cut out the bad manager in the middle and go and talk to The Owner.
Because people are...... well ...... people. Working at the church or reciting scripture doesn't mean they are living out the words they speak. There are fakes. Counterfeit Christians.
Just try the prayer thing.
Trust me on this. Here is my story. This is my truth and my experience.
There is no person, no thing, no car, no house, no job that will fill that empty place in you.
I see you, you're hurting or maybe you're searching for something that feels like ...... more.
Skip the middle man, give it a shot. Just pray. Use your words, your voice. Just talk to Him.
Look, I wasn't raised going to church every Sunday. I was a little intimidated by the whole deal. I've always believed in God but church seemed like a lot of rules and stuff. I was sure I'd stand out for not knowing how to do it right.
Here's the deal. Prayer is just a conversation. You and Jesus, hanging out, talking about stuff. Seriously, that's it.
I stopped paying attention to the Christians that were judgmental and fake. I cut out the middle man.
I began to feel more free. I could pray anytime and anywhere. And I prayed everywhere. I didn't wait until those quiet times with candles lit and the perfect journal and pen. I prayed in the car, I prayed in line at Target, I prayed before client meetings, I prayed in the shower, I prayed and I prayed and I prayed.
I prayed a lot. What people saw of me on the outside was not at all what I felt on the inside. I was lost, lonely, scared, angry. None of the external successes and things could fill the hurt I had inside.
Prayer began to transform the hurt. Prayer filled the empty space. Jesus and me, we talk on the regular. He gets all the emotions that I have each day. I give gratitude, I apologize, I scream out in anger, all of it.
I do dumb stuff, I'm a person, I will always have sin. And in all of my brokenness I can get grace and mercy and forgiveness. All I have to do is ask. And I do. Then I start again fresh the next day.
Try it. I mean really, what have you got to lose? Cut out the middle man and go ask The Owner to heal your spirit and fill you up. He wants to hear from you I promise.
