Blind or Hidden?
I am reading the book by Sheila Walsh, "Extraordinary Faith". In it she grapples with the understanding of faith and how we can have this gift when we understand it's not about us...but about who God is. Anyway, there is one thing that continues to pop up in my mind as I read through this book...doubts. Do we sugarcoat our ministries to sound better than they really are in order to look like good leaders? Do we downplay our personal faith questions and frustrations because we don't want to look "less spiritual" than others around us?
Sheila speaks of a woman who was so angry at the church because she faced a rough time and found no help whatsoever. This woman was "forced" to stuff her frustrations and disappointments because verbalizing them would be seen as ungodly in her church family. This woman said, "church is a building full of people pretending to be ok when they are bleeding to death" (Walsh, 83). Wow, what a verdict! But have we become so good at being "ok" and "blessed" that we are blind to our real struggles within? Do we downplay our spiritual struggles with empty responses and "right" words? Are we becoming a place that people cannot struggle with real spiritual issues but must stuff for appearance sake?
Please share your thoughts.