By David Faust
Image doesn’t always match reality. Fast-food burgers look fresh and delicious on TV commercials, but often they turn out dry and disappointing at the local drive-through. Real estate ads show homes with beautifully decorated rooms and perfectly manicured lawns, but the families who live there know about the clutter and the weeds. With the help of makeup, lighting, editing, and photo filters, models look better in magazines than they do in real life.
Some read the biblical account of Noah’s ark and treat it like a charming little children’s story, but in fact it’s a solemn reminder about God’s judgment and his saving grace. Imagine what it was like being cooped up with all those animals for months. It was messy on the boat—crowded, smelly, dirty, and dangerous. But to be saved from the flood, that messy place was exactly where Noah and his family needed to be.
UNVARNISHED REALITY
Sometimes we glamorize stories in the Bible instead of viewing them realistically. The characters we meet in Scripture come alive with fresh relevance when we remember they were real, unvarnished people like ourselves.
Abraham and Sarah serve as great role models of faith, but it wasn’t glamorous when they had to move and make their home in an unfamiliar land. The patriarchs Isaac and Jacob spent a lot of time on mundane chores like finding water and pasture for their livestock. Joseph endured cruel mistreatment from his brothers before rising to a high position in Egyptian government. Moses met with God on the mountain, but he also felt the crushing burden of leadership and the sting of harsh criticism. Naomi and Ruth experienced the grief of widowhood. David’s victories on the battlefield didn’t prevent him from feeling the pain of his own moral failure and the sorrow of his infant son’s death. Jonah endured three days in a fish’s stinky belly and Daniel survived a terrifying night in a lions’ den.
Jesus’ disciples witnessed mighty miracles, but they also engaged in petty squabbles. John the Baptist questioned, Martha worried, Thomas doubted, James and John thundered, and Peter denied the Lord.
DON’T GO OVERBOARD
Church websites show smiling faces, sharp-looking graphics, and glowing reviews. At most churches, you will be greeted warmly when you arrive. But do the images match reality? Christian people aren’t photoshopped models with perfect lives. We wrestle with the same struggles and temptations common to everyone else. Our bodies break down. Our jobs are stressful. Our marriages, families, and friendships are imperfect. Christians disagree about all sorts of issues, big and small.
The Thessalonian church faced intensifying hardship, but their faith and love kept increasing as well. The apostle Paul found their faithfulness so encouraging that he bragged about their “perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials” they endured (2 Thessalonians 1:4). Yet, this same church contained “idle and disruptive” members. They should have been a busy body, but instead they were “busybodies” (2 Thessalonians 3:11).
It’s messy on the boat. Sometimes it’s so messy we’re tempted to go overboard and abandon the boat altogether, forgetting that it’s deadly outside. Remember: Christ himself is our lifeboat. What saves us from the flood? His blood. What saves the human race? His grace. The church consists of imperfect people riding the waves together, trusting the Savior to get us through the storm. Don’t give up the ship.
Personal Challenge: Someone has said, “The world at its worst needs the church at its best.” How are you helping your church to be at its best?
Author: Christian Standard
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