You Can Fake It All

[ILG]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

However, it really isn't our job to separate the tares from the wheat, and eventually the fakes will either be naturally separated (chaff blown away) or their differences will become visible. There's no need to uproot the fakers; there's only a need to examine ourselves and make sure we aren't guilty of being fake.

Yes! This! So, my point is that when churches say that people aren't "in" because they don't follow a certain set of rules, they are guilty of separating the tares from the wheat. And when they say those are "in" when they are just following rules are also judging and they could be judging wrongly. Judging like this can be dangerous because it can harm innocents souls and it can protect guilty ones.

And then there are the Sunday mornings when we get up late, nothing goes right, Jeff and I argue on the way to church, and I have to walk in and pretend like nothing's wrong--for the sake of everyone else. That kind of "faking" has merit, because it's simply being considerate. We don't have to always share every negative feeling we're having, and God doesn't need to be punished with a lack of praise and devotion just because we're having a bad day. Trust me, though, when it's just Him and me? I know He knows but I share all my negative feelings anyway. No need to hide from God, but sometimes we do [feel the] need to hide from people. I guess that's our culture, both church and secular, or maybe it's personality. I don't like to open up my "mess" for all the world to see. I don't particularly care for making myself vulnerable, quite frankly. I trust only God with everything, and a very small handful of people with a carefully selected slice of that same "everything."

I don't call what you are doing there "faking" or "hiding", that's just being human.

As far as opening up messes, I like to do that to a certain extent. It makes people think, including me. And you have to think in order to grow.