Demetri Martin, a super funny comedian has a humorous thought about living in glass houeses. "There's a saying that goes, "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." Ok... how 'bout nobody should throw stones... thats crappy behavior. My policy is: No stone throwing regardless of housing situation. There is one exception though... if your trapped in a glass house.. and you have a stone... then throw it! So really... it's only people in glass houses should throw stones provided they are trapped in the house with the stones."
I was thinking a few days ago that we all struggle with sin. Nothing new, but this presents a unique challange for those who live and serve in the "Glass House" of the Church. Wanting to be truthful we desire to be tranparent about our sins and struggles and to some degree most will allow us to share stories of how God has helped us to grow, even if they include reference to sins we "used to" struggle with. However, this assumes a false constant, namely that a particular sin in our life is in full remession and that our progress in our spiritual life as pastors and leaders is progressively linear and toward ever greater victory.
This is a lie.
Progress, in nearly every case, is spasmatic- a jerky and random and painfully inconsistent journey toward Jesus. A journey that often goes around bends which are painful and wrong but later are healed and restored by God. We do grow... but what about the period of indetermined length where we live in regression -- the valley between the last victory and the next. I feel like this is the true home of most christian lives... sure we may have a summer cottage on the mountain top, but our every day abode in the valley... the trench where we are shamefully aware of our own shortcomings, even if his grace is sufficient.
Really though this luxury of being normal is afforded to all people... except those who work in the "Glass House." We are not allowed to get worse - even for a short time. Herein lies the root lie. We who are "chosen" to be servants of the gospel are often expected to be transformed, instead of transforming.
Here is my confession of truth. While I sometimes have growth spasms, I am painfully imperfect, untransformed, and most often live between the hills. I am not Jesus - perfect- I am flawed in so many ways, but under his grace just like everyone else. Please don't put those who work in a church on a pedestal... Pray for us... We struggle just as much as everyone else and need to be growing and be tranforming...
