God Calls Imperfect People

I talked to my ex husband recently. It would have been our 13 year wedding anniversary on the 20th, and it seemed only fitting to catch up on that day.

He was my teenage/early 20s best friend.

I am thankful that our spouses are not put off by us remaining in contact, because it’s been such a blessing to stay friends. 🙏

Because I am not programmed to have a shallow conversation for long, we got talking about discrepancies within the Christian community in correlation to the Bible.

We talked about the fact that since our divorce, we both have changed immensely and see the world differently than we once did as naive, innocent, cradle-Christian, kids.

In different ways, this has brought us both judgement and disapproval from people in the Christian community.

Separately but related, currently, I’m reading the Bible cover to cover.

Our conversation got me thinking about my recent readings plus my lifetime of Bible reading and knowledge.

So many of the people that the church admires and reveres were subpar at best and easy to judge outside of the great things they did for God.

I mean, seriously.

Noah was a drunk, or at least got drunk.

Lot offered his daughters up to be r@ped to save some angels. “Take my girls, not the angel!” What a horrible father.

Abraham kept telling people that Sarah was his sister so that they wouldn’t be jealous of him having a beautiful wife and try to kill him. So basically, he was like, “Sarah, take one for the team and tell these scary people, who may or may not want to r@pe you, that you’re my sister,(which actually she was, but her role was his wife) so at least I can be safe.” What a horrible husband and coward.

Abraham also didn’t have strong faith in God’s word. God repeatedly told him that he would have children and tons of grandchildren and great grandchildren, but Abraham didn’t believe him, and took matters into his own hands and tried to make a baby with his wife’s maid. Abraham and the maid have a child who he later kicks out of his home and leaves them to fend for themselves.

His faith isn’t strong, he doesn’t believe or trust God, and he abandons his own child who he went out of his way to conceive around God, yet we praise Abraham and sing songs in church like “Father Abraham.”

Jacob tricked his father and stole from his own brother.

David was an adulterer and had an innocent man killed.

Paul was a murderer.

Yet, alas! These guys and others like them in the Bible are considered great men of God. They are praised and glorified in the church AND BY GOD despite their very apparent humanness.

I have many flaws, but I’m going to pick on this one for a second because this is a big no-no in the Christian community. I have a trucker mouth. I’m not proud of it, but the fact is, I do, especially when I’m mad.

I’m most ashamed of it, when my children copy me. I’ve been working on it, but honestly, it’s not going great.

When my kids copy me in my negative behaviors, it makes me feel like a failure and very inadequate.

However, when I live in guilt and shame over my many down falls and keep looking back at how I have messed up, I become like Lot’s wife, a pillar of salt, stuck, frozen, and no good to anyone.

The Bible tells us that God takes subpar, imperfect, imbeciles like me and uses us to do great things if we are willing to answer His call.

Thoughts to ponder:

If these people were a random person your church today, and they did the things that they did then, today, would you consider them a great person of God?

How many David’s, Noah’s Abraham’s, Jacob’s, Lots, and Paul’s, have been driven out of the church because they aren’t measuring up to the imaginary goodness quota that so many Christians have bought into?

Based on the Bible I’m reading (NKJV,) a lot of it is a socially constructed version of reality passed from pulpit to pulpit, generation to generation.

This idea that Christians should be near perfect to be considered mighty men and women of God is simply not what is displayed in the Bible.

I’m not saying that we don’t change as a result of Jesus’ love. Because, we certainly do! As we grow in Christ and the knowledge of His love, we reflect more and more the fruits of the spirit.

However, if we waited around for people to become perfect, no one, except the really good fakers would ever do anything worthwhile in the name of Christ.

And this is what I’m seeing.

People who truly love God don’t think that they are worthy to do great things in his name.

How many of the people that God has placed a special calling on their lives, feel judged, unqualified, and not good enough to be used by Him because of how the overarching message of the church makes them feel, so they ultimately give up on the calling and purpose God has for them?

Is the enemy using the church itself to sabotage the will of God?

In our conversation, Nate and I each discussed a situation with different Christians who made us feel inadequate or out of the will of God.

At first glance, this makes me feel angry and/or hurt, but ultimately, we both came to the same conclusion. Instead of being mad at the person who was judging, we felt sorry for them.

They truly believe in a harsh, mean, judgmental God who expects perfection and penance when perfection isn’t attained.

So many people who “love” Jesus are completely missing His heart.

So many people who follow Christ, do so out of fear of hell and punishment not out of love and genuine desire for connection and relationship with Him.

If this is you, I beg you to seek God’s word IN CONTEXT (meaning read the entire book of the Bible you’re quoting together not just a sporadic verse or paragraph here and there.)

“God is love.” 1 John 4:16 (NKJV)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ( 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV.)