Can I Mosh in a Dentist Office?

Do you have your life together? I mean really, is it complete? I think one thing that seems to haunt our days is this feeling that we have to live up to some imaginary standard that we believe others are reaching. We live as if to impress and waste our thoughts in hopes of scamming the people around us. Speaking to students, we see this a lot. Kids are experts at code-switching. They are able to navigate almost seamlessly through varied populations of people without much thought. They bounce between home, school, sports, and church, rarely living their full selves in the context of one community. Many kids are relationally unsafe. Of course, some of this bouncing is necessary and good in our society. Different environments will draw out different aspects of our personality. You will act differently at a rock show than you do at the dentist . . .hopefully. But I fear the next generation has inherited a worry about what it means to be fully human. Many homes live fractured lives. Being one person in church, and another at home. Making certain decisions at work while ignoring their consequences within the family setting. This is what we are teaching them – that who they truly are may not be welcome nor good enough. Perhaps the biggest trait we can champion is authenticity.

When we look at Jesus, we see a beauty in how He was able to draw out the complexity of the human condition in those he encountered, scars and all, while choosing to love them with a divine intensity. It can be said that the more broken you were and the greater your willingness to let that be exposed, the more He liked you and the greater the work He did in your life. Openly broken people had preferential treatment. While careful not to speak fully for God, I think He may grant us a certain relational confidence when we chase after Him. The faith of a man or woman who can be uniquely themselves is mighty.

Today we ask, who are you? Is it the you God created or that you did? Have the faith to step out into a broken world with a redeemed and steady spirit. Our Lord has crushed all pretense and false images. He has given you victory over the worry of impressing those around you. Put the bull horn down and live like you. Beautifully simple and flawed you.