Chris talks about the “Christian facade”, Mike says he thinks it is an American thing (I suspect that this phenomenon does exist outside the U.S.), and Ashley talks about the “super religious holier-than-thou facade”. Whatever you call it, and wherever it exists, it goes back to the issue that Chris talks about…lack of humility (a.k.a. pride). [As a side note I think it is important to distinguish between Godly self-control and “putting on a facade”].

The more that I’ve thought about it the more I am convinced that one cannot truly humble oneself until God has humbled them. In essence, pride will exist until God intervenes to reveal its true nature. On the same token, I think that one’s capacity for mercy is probably linked to how much one has been humbled by God. So the ability to respond appropriately to anotherâ??s burdens is also linked to humility. Perhaps our action point should be to pray that God will bring humility to the Church…it’s just a thought.

You do, when being open take a risk, but the benefits and the rewards of taking that risk are far greater than the ill effects of gossip or other such things.

However, what first came to my mind as I read Chris’ entry was my own experience with devestating weakness following chemo. I was severely compromised physically, mentally and emotionally as I went through the greatest spiritual battle of my life. I felt like a walking disaster and one of my greatest fears was that my witness to others would be harmed. I didn’t have the wherewithall to fake anything. I felt as though my faith had never been weaker and that God had never been further away. This went on for seven agonizing months.

I remember that I was incredulous when my Pastor told me that I was a great inspiration to many people. I didn’t understand how that could be possible. If you ever saw how Frodo looked during the last Lord of the Rings movie…that was me, inside and out.

It wasn’t until I healed from that experience that I realized how different God’s economy is. My faith was being tested in a way it never had been before. When I thought that my faith was at it’s lowest, it was probably at it’s greatest peak. When it felt like God had never been further away, He had probably never been closer. I had thought that my greatest witness was when I faced adversity bravely, but it appears that my greatest witness was when I was a complete physical and emotional wreck.

What I can say, with a fair amount of certainty, is that I would not have learned those lessons unless God had stripped me down past the point of myself. I suspect that Paul went though a similar process, and I think that is the power behind the words that He penned. The sense that I have is that one can only truly humble themselves after God has already humbled them.

Additionally, a lot of times when vulnerability and openness is pushed for, the corporate church refuses to recognize the harmful effects of gossip. Most believers don’t want their dirty laundry aired out for the rest of the world to see, especially when many people are not bearing their burdens, but pointing judgmental fingers.

One more thing, there are areas where it is inappropriate for me to be vulnerable with other people in the church. There are certain burdens which certain other members of the church could never help me bear without causing greater harm than good.

Discernment and Vulnerability go hand in hand. :)