Matthew 7:3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
Ouch.
Okay, Lord. I hear You loud and clear.
So this year I am starting a new blog series entitled TRANSPARENCY CHALLENGE: This is my truth…hence the title of this blog. 😉 I was going to call it “check myself before I wreck myself”, but obviously I did not go that route. LOL
Okay, so what is this blog series going to be about anyway? Why all the fuss?
Well, I am going to start calling MYSELF OUT on a few things and I am going to be responsibly transparent, allowing the Holy Spirit to convict me like I always should have and start holding myself accountable MORE than I ever have before. I want to be honest with myself about my faults and grow closer to Christ in the process and I am making it public in hopes of challenging others and praying they have the courage to do the same. There are small things in my life that I know are hindering my progress and growth in Christ and it’s time I do something about it.
I believe what you do AFTER you are convicted tells a whole lot about your relationship with Christ.
Will I be embarrassed to share?
Um, probably. Okay, most definitely. No one really wants their faults put on display. They want the filtered stuff, the stuff they can control how others perceive them. BUT I want to be honest. Transparent.
I used to say one of my favorite verses was Romans 3:23 (“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”) because it reminded me that no one was perfect. More importantly, it reminded me that each of us need a Savior, badly – desperately.
I NEED HIM.
In the Bible, Jesus called out a woman at the well, calling her out on her many relationships with men. And instead of getting offended, she embraced Jesus’ words. She embraced conviction. In return, MASSIVE amounts of people’s lives were transformed, as she went back to her city and told others about Jesus. And that’s what I want. I want to embrace Jesus calling me out so that I can live a better life, closer to Him, and maybe help a few along the way.
I have seen so many like to point out the faults in others, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to turn it around on myself.
It can sometime seem like the most critical, hurtful, and judgmental people are found in the church (not all churches and I am not pointing one out in particular), I am talking about the ones like the Pharisees in the Bible, who regularly called out others when they themselves had their own issues.
I DO NOT WANT TO BE LIKE THAT.
Yes, I am a pastor’s wife, but I am still human, flawed in need of redemption. I am not any better than my brothers and sisters in Christ. I have to overcome just like the next person. I am humbled by His grace and mercy every day. I pray that God removes any judgmental, hateful, Pharisee-like traits in me, so that I can follow Him truer and steadier.
I just want to be like JESUS.
Jesus was all inclusive while being exclusive.
He was/is the way, truth, and life. No one will get to heaven except through Him. Yet, He loves even those who reject Him and died for them just like He died for me, so I am not going to count them out, disgrace them, or hate them. I am going to LOVE them as Jesus did and speak truth. I can’t change their heart, but Jesus can. As long as there is breath in them, there is hope. All I can do is point them to Christ and SHOW/TELL them what He has done for me.
I plan on doing at least one blog post in this series per month. I want to be tactful and responsible, but honest and transparent at the same time, so I will prayerfully consider everything I share and wait for God to give me the right words as He convicts me.
If, at any time, one of my convictions convict you, please feel free to comment or share.
We are not alone in this fight.
We are all in this race.
So let’s fight, not against each other, but for our faith right alongside each other.
