From The Editor: Let's Be Real
Throughout my life, I’ve struggled to understand the thoughts, decisions, and actions of some of the people closest to me. I long ago surrendered trying to control others, so what they do is neither my fault nor my problem, but that doesn’t lessen the impact of those waves hitting my life by any measure.
Often, I get the logic. With all the world’s clamoring and cultural shifts, sure, it makes sense how one would come to conclusions of finality. Choosing to step away from a hurtful situation makes complete sense. Mental health and emotional well-being are absolutely important, and we should take steps to protect ourselves. I get it.
But as a Christian, I feel that my God calls me to make even more difficult choices. He calls me to love even when it’s hard. He calls me to forgive even when I’m hurting. He calls me to reconciliation even when I’m upset. I am meant to follow through on promises and live with consequences while still maintaining healthy boundaries for my protection.
At the end of the day, I can’t judge; I am entirely fallible myself. But sometimes I don’t agree. And I think that’s okay. It’s okay for me to not understand; it’s not my life, not my brain, and not my decision.
But it’s also okay for me to not be okay. These outside decisions often impact my life, causing a fundamental shift, which is, by definition, upsetting.
The bigger problem is that I feel like I’m not allowed to talk about it. For privacy, I understand, but culturally in general, I feel like Christians don’t want to look at where we’re struggling in our intimate selves. We don’t want to admit that something we’ve committed ourselves to has failed. But we, of all people, should know that there is redemption. We know that there is forgiveness, that we are given the grace of not just a second chance, but 70 times seven chances and beyond. And if we don’t talk about it, how will others know we need help?
Pretending to be fine when your world is crumbling around you is not the witness the world needs to see. The true testament to God’s grace is working through pain, accepting help when needed, and leaning into His presence when all our human efforts fail.
I want to challenge us to talk about our mess. Let’s normalize sharing our struggles. And in the same breath, let’s hold up those around us in love, never judging, but always speaking God’s truth into each other’s circumstances. Let’s be a true community of believers, inviting the Holy Spirit to be in our conversations, to work in us and through our relationships, and to make us an example of grace that points the rest of the world back to God.
In a culture of veneer, polish, and façade hiding the mess lying just beyond, let’s be real.