Let’s Be Honest

There is a song on contemporary Christian radio by Leanna Crawford called “Honest.” I was cleaning house while listening to the uplifting music and the words she sang really struck me. She sang about praising God through worship thousands of times, knowing He’s perfect and will never leave her side, but then she asks, “Can I be honest?”  

I think we’ve all been there, at least I know I have. I’m in church almost every Sunday, I engage in worship and listen intently to the message, but sometimes I feel like I don’t which way is up; I feel lost, like God isn’t near me or speaking to me. And you know what, THAT’S OKAY. Pastor teaches us about the circular motion of life, that sometimes we’re high on the mountain top and other times we’re low in the valley. We know that just accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior doesn’t mean our lives become pain free or obstacle free. On the contrary, Satan will come after you more now because he HAS to win you back.  

Part of the division of our country is related to spiritual beliefs. Those who don’t believe or don’t agree with us will call us out at the first sight of us struggling, losing, or hurting. They’ll ask, “Where’s your God, NOW?” Reminds me of the first thief on the cross, who told Jesus if He was who He said He was, why didn’t He just save Himself. What those people don’t see is that God allows our struggling and hurting to grow us, to make us lean on Him more and to build our faith. What they also don’t see is that we accept that; in fact, we embrace it as the living hope of our God, that He is control and even if we can’t see it yet, He will see us through the pain. 

So, when you see someone and you think they’ve got it all together because they’re lifting their hands in worship and they’ve got a smile on their face, don’t assume that they are high on the mountain top. They could be really fighting a battle that can only be won through prayer and praise. If I can be honest, that may be me.