"I don't go to church."
"Church people are such hypocrites."
"The church is all about rules and money."
These statements make me a little nosy.... Well okay real nosy! Statements like these make my little detective side come out. The reasons why people don't go to church are always just said in a statement. People say them casually and not usually up for discussing them anymore but I always want the story. The whole truth. Maybe because I have a story of my own...so I tend to push on those statements.
Most of the time when they state a statement like the ones above, I tend to lean in and say oh yeah and what happened that made you think that. Most people are shy at first, but usually the story always comes out.
There is always a story. A person who was hurt. An offensive that was a taken. A community that turned their backs... Most always the story is worth hearing.
The story is always the real truth in why they don't really go to church or want to go to church. Sometimes it is their parents story or their grandparents story; I always wonder how much of these stories are real or how much of the story is an urban legend story that some one from the family just kept passing down.... A lie from the enemy that kept each generation from the truth.
Sometimes it is their own story that has kept them from church,or church folks and/or sometimes even kept them from God.
Most stories are pretty much the same. Someone in church hurt them. This caused them to run away. Put up walls. Many just decide that church was not for them. Forget religion or religious people.... Some just decide it is too hard.
He said take care to not take offense cause the offensives will come.... Boy was Jesus right.
I can relate. I understand. To an extent I think I am battling that same battle. However, I know that this truth- I am battling a battle! I wanted to run. In fact I did run. I ran for many years. Ran away from church. Religion. Church people. Ran mostly from God.
I ran away again this summer. Only this time I ran to him. I knew this time I was hating the wrong thing, the wrong person, and running was not the answer. I ran because it was all I knew to do.
The more I wanted to run the more he encouraged me to just rest in him.
I got angry and sad and cried and to be honest I hated church people and churches. To be around them (my friends included) made me even worse... So please know I get it. The pain and hurt is easier to just avoid if you just put your walls up and walk the other way. However, this is what the enemy wants. This is not what God wants. God's ways are ALWAYS better.
See the enemy doesn't want any of us in church. The enemy doesn't want us together. The enemy doesn't want us to rise up, have relationships or even have a community where His love refreshes us!
The enemy is out to kill, steal and destroy..so of course many of us have been attacked at our own home base. He uses leaders, friends and situations are twisted and turned into ugly things. These ugly things shouldn't be at church but they are.
We go to church to be filled back up. To be refreshed. To feel loved, to give love, to be encouraged and to encourage others sooo when we go and we are instead not seen or heard, or ignored or hurt.... Or Shamed....or pushed around.... Or have taken offense to what was said, or done or not done..... It leaves us not wanting to return. It can leave you thinking never again. It can leave you feeling angry or mad or sad or your perspective changes towards people, towards church people.... Towards God.
Trust me I know! Really I do.... I had to endure, press in and I still have good days and bad. As much as every Sunday I want to avoid the whole church scene and people cause it is easier.... I don't. I make myself get up and get dressed and we continue to go church hunting.... Yes hunting: I like that term better than shopping- I at this point don't want to buy a church..... Nor do I want to kill a church sooooo maybe we are not church hunting either....oh well you get the point- every weekend we are continuing to trust God and we are continuing to put ourself out there.... We do this even in a season of healing.
I know what it is like to be hurt where you least expect it. However can I encourage you to try again? Can I encourage you to at least try?
Is it easy? No!
Is it worth it? Yes!
God will not forsake you!
We are 7 days into the new year. Never too late to move forward and leave your past in the past. Never too late to let God heal some wounds, to speak truth into your heart. Never too late to realize the goal of the enemy is to separate us. To not unite us.
Not all churches are the same.
Not all people are the same.
Not even you are the same as you were when you decide to give up on church, or church folks or even God.
We all need each other. Especially now. Families are under attack. Our kids are under attack. Our friendship are under attack. Our hearts, our minds and our bodies are under attack.... However we know that God has the victory! We should be on his team. We should be playing for his team. We should not be playing against each other. If there was ever a time that forgiveness and healing were needed- that time is now.
I am sincerely sorry for what happened in your story. Or to your family. I know I am not the person or place that wounded you but will you let me stand in the gap for them and apologize for their words, their actions and for the hurt and pain it caused. I apologize for the shame or guilt or if it embarrased you. I hate that it even happened. It angers me that you or your family were attacked from a place that should have been a safe and comfortable place. It makes me heart sad that you were not valued or shown worth the way your Heavenly Father wants you to be treated. Please will you forgive me?