Refreshing Honesty
by Danny Evans
Another article and I’m using another illustration from my children. I know I do it frequently, but when you have a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old, your life becomes a walking illustration. My problem never tends to be, “What can I use as an illustration?” but more of “Which of these crazy things should I share?” My heart always wants to share the funny ones and shy away from the embarrassing ones. I don’t want to talk about the times I messed up and lost my temper but the times I was a great example.
My son challenged me this week on this. Not on purpose. He was just being honest. We were doing devotions at night, and we were talking about Daniel and the lions’ den. We got to the part where even though Daniel knew he would be thrown in the lions’ den, he prayed to God. My son looked up at me and said, “I would have just prayed to the King.” I sat there for a second and thought about that. His honesty was refreshing. Because of that I got to really talk to him about how I would have done the same thing, but Jesus changed my heart. And that He continues to change my heart as I grow to love Him, and that his mom and I pray that God does that same work in him. We would have never had that conversation if he had not been honest.
I think that’s something that’s missing in a lot of churches. It’s why the world thinks the church is judgmental. We are quick to point out sin in others but bury our own down deep.
In his book, Unchristian, David Kinnaman found that 85% of young, unchurched people think Christians pretend to be something unreal, conveying a polished image that is not accurate. We are not known for the depth of our transparency, for digging in and solving deep problems, but for trying to project an untrue picture of having it all together.
The truth is we don’t always have it together. So instead of trying to act like we do, let’s follow the example of Paul in Romans 7:21-24. “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”
He addresses his sin. In fact, he tells the church “I struggle!” He does not hide it. I love the question he asks there, “Who will rescue me?” because he follows it up with a quick answer (vs 25), “Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
If you are struggling with sin today, I want to let you know that I am too. The same God who is going to rescue me will meet you there as well. He will be faithful to complete the work He began in us.