Wednesday, November 12, 2008

SHARE!



Acts 4:32, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” (NIV)
When we think of sharing, what comes to mind first? Our stuff, right? We teach our children to share their cookies and their toys. We share carpools, books, and cups of sugar. And especially during the holidays, we share with those less fortunate. But is that where God intended for the sharing to stop? Can I tell you that I think the kind of sharing closest to the heart of God has nothing to do with stuff?
I don’t know about you, but I am a hopelessly flawed person, in need of God’s grace every hour of every day. I’m pretty sure you’re not perfect either, so why does everyone act perfect in church? Don’t look at me in that tone of voice, you know exactly what I mean! You roll into the parking lot of the church with an epic battle raging in the SUV. But by the time you reach the front door, you’re Mr. & Mrs. Bliss and the darling Bliss children. “Good morning!” says the greeter in the Lobby. “How are you today?” After a rousing chorus of “Good”s and “Fine”s, you make your way to the sanctuary where you spend the entire service extinguishing fiery darts being shot at you by your offended spouse. Sound familiar? Most of us, if we're honest, go to great lengths to hide what life really looks like at our house.
One of our fondest hopes for the community at Crossroads is that we will be able to be transparent, so we can give and receive each other’s help. This is the kind of sharing God intended. How can I receive help for the things in my life that are broken if I think you’re perfect, and can’t relate to me? In almost 20 years of following Christ, I’ve found that my biggest weaknesses and most dismal failures are the very things God uses to bring freedom and healing to others! If you’re struggling in your marriage, battling depression or addiction, how will you receive help if you never share your need, and I never share my story? God never intended for us to have it all figured out, to live life alone. Galations 6:2 says “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ”. (NLT, emphasis mine)
Let’s make our church face our real face. Share your story. Bear a burden. Let’s start Sunday.
Prayer for Today: Help me to share my struggles, and bear the burdens of others. Help me not to hide my flaws and failures, so You may use them to bring hope and freedom to others. In Jesus name, Amen.

4 comments:

Chris Brooks said...

great blog!!

this is now my favorite one.

ps-don't tell anyone that I (a guy)
read "chick food" though..
embarassing! loL!

Leslie Oden said...

Thanks, Chris! There are at least five non-chick readers of Chick Food, so you're in good company. lol

Anonymous said...

Fantabulous blog! I love that I can be real at Crossroads.
-HM

Anonymous said...

This is definitely a great and true blog! I cannot help but imagine how the world would be if we all lived by those words? I do not believe that we were all meant to go through things, good or bad, alone. So often we are taught to share the good we have...but what about the bad? If we all helped one another through bad times, then...they probably wouldn't be so bad! :)