Speak with honesty

There's a certain pull on us to speak honestly, as Sonya and I enter into our 10th year of marriage. I don't mean honestly in our relationship - I think that's well founded - but honesty in our interactions with everyone else (outside our family). Speaking honestly (pouring what's truly inside of us) has put us "out there" - so to speak - revealing to others those things they themselves would rather remain unknown and unspoken. The shadows, the pain, the hurts, the frustrations, the questions we all have and feel and face everyday. So few people I've meet actually live their faith - they project their faith.

"How are you", says generic friend. "I feel a bit distant from the world. I feel God isn't listening to me. I feel people are unwilling to hear honestly what's inside someone - the dirty, painful, honest truth' Generic friends stands mouth wide open, blank stare. "...Oh, I get it, you didn't really want an honest answer. Right. I'm fine then ...", as I turn and walk away.

We as Christians are so unwilling to realize the blatant falsity of being "in right, out right, down right happy all the time". We'll do all in our power to convey that Christianity is flowers and sunshine and chocolates left on your pillow in the morning. We project what we believe faith is - life without difficulty, without intrusion, without hardship, without the ugly scars, because truly if we are living in and of God, then life can't have a blemish. It's rubbish and I will not partake.