Can God handle our laments? Can his church?

How authentic are you with God, really authentic?

My wife and I have a tendency to share our lives with those we meet. Both when we are in smaller groups and when we are in front of larger groups. I have this conviction, if faith doesn't interact with life then what's the point. We have gotten in trouble for this from time to time. There is a belief out there, our lives are not the to be the subject of sermons or worship. I agree they are not to be the main point. They are to be the illustrations. This is what scripture is all about. God interacting with the lives of people. We see who he is by the way he enters lives and we see our faith by the way we interact with the world. As James said - I will show you my faith by what I do. We share our lives, we share our stories, we share how God is interacting with us in a real and true way. We don't need to polish things up and make them shine so they are prettier to look at, we share life with one another and through life we find a more substantial faith.

Sometimes we think we need to polish things not only for the people we shake hands with in the lobby but for God as well. We hold back what is really happening in our lives. We can't actually be angry with God, we can't doubt him, we can be depressed. We have to pray with praise and goodness on our lips only.

In Job 3 he doesn't hold anything back, he doesn't make anything easier to swallow or cover things up with fake praise. He does not curse God and he does not sin, but he doesn't mellow it out for public consumption. He curses the day he was born, he wishes the sun had never shone on it. He prays the day of his birth would never have been added to the year or been placed in the month. He wishes there had been no knees to receive him and no breast to nurse him. He cries out with all the anguish and lament in his soul. In the presence of God and the presence of the three friends sitting with him in the dirt. He doesn't hold anything back. We know his heart, his real true authentic heart.

There are times in our lives we have these same feelings. There are times when these same words have been spoken in our home. There are times when we just want the rest it seems only the grave has to offer. Here's the thing, God can handle it. God can handle our lamentations and our sorrow. He is strong enough to bear the things we cannot. And if we are the body of Christ, then we should be able to bear it as well. We need to be available to listen to the great joy and the great lament of those around us. We need not put on the plastic masks of "everything's fine."

My challenge to you today is to be authentic in your relationships. There was a time when preachers use to talk about getting real with Jesus. Let's get more real with Jesus then just asking him into the spruced up version of our hearts. Let's get real with the cluttered and aching parts as well. And let's get real with each other, with the body of Christ. Open yourself up to the hearts of those around you so you can share your life and faith with them, and so they can share their life and faith with you.

Lament if you need to, God can handle it. And I pray that his church can too.