Gotta tell it like it is...

"I want to spend time with people who will help me become more like Jesus. Not in a lofty, hyper-spiritual way, where all I do is talk Christianese and unplug myself from the world. But in a nitty-gritty way, talking in raw and honest language about how Jesus makes sense of the ups and downs of everyday life." -Vicky Beeching

Gotta love that worship leading, song writing, bombshell of a woman of God. I often times find myself struggling with this concept. I feel very strongly that we as Christians need to be opening up our arms to those who are hurting, whether or not there's some crap in their lives (and don't we all have just a teeeennnyyy bit of crap in our lives). We need to be opening up our homes, our cars, and our lives to them and show them the love of Jesus, not judging them, so when people make comments like "I don't want to surround myself with those kinds of people", it definitely rubs me the wrong way. But I love what Vicky Beeching has to say about this subject, "not in a lofty, hyper-spiritual way, where all I do is talk Christianese and unplug myself from the world. BUt in a nitty-gritty way, talking in raw and honest language about how Jesus makes sense of the ups and downs of everyday life"

I definitely value my close Christian friends. They are the people I spend a lot of my time with, and when it comes down to the raw and nitty gritty, I know I can come to them. I know that it's important for me to be built up by these people so that I CAN open my arms to those who may be hurting, showing them compassion and love like I cannot love without the love of God shown to me through others. Like another one of my favorite worship leaders (Brooke Frasier) says, "I know I am filled to be emptied again"

Let's be people who lift each other up this year, getting down to that rawness, that vulnerable place with one another, so that we can filled and then empty ourselves loving and serving others.