Throughout my years in ministry I’ve gotten used to critiques or criticism. I’ve found some of it helpful. This past week though I’ve been really wrestling with some criticism I recently received. After church a man pulled me aside and discussed with me his distaste for my choice of one word and my ‘real’ qualities. He assured me that he believed with time I would become less real.
{What does it mean to be ‘less real’ anyways? I like who I am. I want to be real.}
I know I’m a sensitive sort but I can handle people who don’t like my sermons or who disagree with my presentation. This was an attack on me, who I am and my personality. Being assured that I would someday become something else wasn’t really an assurance to me. It felt like I wasn’t accepted for who I was. It felt like I wasn’t good enough. Like I wouldn’t belong until I became something different.
If we treat each other this way when we’re part of the Christian community, how do outsiders feel? If we cannot accept each other for what we are, why would others want to attend?
Maybe this is part of our problem. We want people to be like us. We want people to conform to our image of what a person should be. Perhaps we would attract more people if we were real. If we were authentic representatives of Christ’s love for others in the world.
A journey through Lent: Day 40
