Plastic Faith

The term "plastic" is sometimes used to describe people who try to portray an image that is not really true to reality.  For example, if someone tries to put on an attitude that "everything is just fine" when it really isn't, this is plastic.  They are putting on a fake face and molding it like plastic to cover up what's really going on.

Christians can sometimes be plastic.  It's harsh to say but it's true nonetheless.  I know that I am tempted to do this often as a pastor.  I want people to see me as doing fine, that everything's ok even when things might not be ok.  I've thought about this a bit and I realized one reason why I do this--it's because I am trying to defend God.  There is something in me that wants the world to see Christianity as squeeky clean, and pleasant, a place where you will be affirmed and nurtured and by that I mean a place that looks like there is little struggle.  I think I have been infected by a culture of marketing and I am trying to subtley "sell" Christianity to others.

I don't need to protect God.

This came crashing home for me when I read a short passage just this morning in Acts 9:15.  God speaks to Ananias telling him to tell Paul about his new life as a follower of God.  This is what God said was the message for this "new believer": "Go!  This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

I will show him how much he must suffer for my name??!!  What's up with that?  Doesn't God realize that this is just about the worst marketing he could do?  Doesn't he know that people won't be attracted to something that is presented as blatant suffering?  People are looking for what will benefit them not take from them!

But as I said before, it hit me--God does not need me to defend Him, He has a pretty good idea of what it is that he wants to accomplish and how to go about doing it.

Maybe we need to stop being "plastic", hiding our suffering when we are actually suffering.  Maybe we need to realize that following God will sometimes (maybe more than we like to admit) hurt.  Given what God said to Paul, it's possible that he has in mind something like this for us too.

And maybe we need to stop trying to fit God into our idea of what is best, and allow him to teach us what his ideas are all about.

Lord your word tells us that faith is a gift from your hand.  The magnitude of this gift scrambles our minds, and becuase it's too big to understand or comprehend we work hard to "pretty it up" by painting images on the outside of it so that it looks more attractive to us and the world.  Please forgive us and help us to humbly accept what faith really is.

Take us to the places where faith makes a difference. . . . .

BT