Straight Talk about Pain...

You know, I never understood the Pop Christianity's obsession with happy, happy, joy, joy. Take Joel Osteen's popular messages. Sheesh. We already have one Tony Robbins. And I'm not interested sometimes in hearing about how I need to not be depressed. Jesus Christ was a real man. He wept. He got angry.

As a male, you're not allowed to have moods. It's not manly. And if you have one, you must be a woman! Please.

And let's look at the current worship scene, shall we? All those happy songs. And it's a blooming miracle if someone acknowledges suffering or pain as a distraction, much less anything as a reality. What of those of us who life has dealt a very rough hand? What of those us who are looking at life and going, "How in the name of all that is holy am I going to make it through another day?"

The Apostle Paul despaired of life. David wrote Psalm 22. Jesus wept. Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes. And we try to sometimes yank the meaning out of these things. Or we try to gloss them over. (And I'm probably guilty of that one...) Jesus Christ said, "In this world you will have tribulation." Many take that to mean the Great Tribulation, but I don't think that's what he meant.

My thoughts are rather scattered this evening. And I don't exactly know why I'm writing this. But I've always felt that Churchianity tries to avoid the acknowledgment that Christians do suffer. Maybe we're not persecuted physically here. But sometimes we do have to confront mental and emotional issues. And I don't deny God is there with us going through these things even when we can't see him.

For a believer to admit, "Life just isn't what it should be right now," is to invite uncomfortable silence at best and a statement of "Well if you had enough faith... if you didn't sin, if you'd just " from folks. THis is the realm of nice guys, remember? Nice guys don't get depressed. They smile always! They sing praise at all times!

And the question that I have to ask... how can I smile when someone else close to me is in the battle? How can I smile when everything feels lost? And while I think there is validity to the question of "Rejoice in the Lord always," that does not require us to not acknowledge that things do hurt.

Why does pain exist? Partially because of the fall. Partially because it is God's way of teaching. Partially because of free will.

Feelings are an indicator of how things are going. But to rely solely on them is to put one's self in jeopardy. Christianity has become overly emotional. Worship demands a response, yes, but not always is it required that you have an emotional response.

Sometimes though, worship is about placing full trust in God despite all the pain. Sometimes worship is saying "Not my will, but thine be done." Sometimes it means that we bring the emotions under the authority and kingship of Jesus Christ.

Christianity needs to acknowledge that pain exists. And then, maybe then, we can deal with it openly and not in closed doors. And maybe... just maybe, we can be real with one another. Because I don't have to be afraid of someone who doesn't want to deal with much less acknowledge my pain.