July 17, 2013

50 Shades of Christian Gravy

I never wear a Christian Gravy shirt in my hometown. Not to church, not even to Walmart. Something about it seems too egotistical. Like I'm fishing for compliments. And I stink at fishing.

But when I'm out of town, it's free advertising. Sometimes it starts conversations.

However, the other day a man with a mustache was trying to read my Christian Gravy shirt to his wife and his young teenage son. He couldn't seem to master it. I heard him reading it to his wife for some time before he finally asked me.

The conversation between the two of them went like this:

"Fifty Shades of Grey?"

"Something like that. You know that saucy book. The shirt is hard to read with the messy font. Maybe, Christian Gray?"

"What's Christian Gray?"

"I don't know."

Finally, the mustached man asked me, but within a millisecond he wished he hadn't.

"What's your shirt say?"

"Christian Gravy."

"What's Christian Gravy? Does it get hot and sloppy?"

"It's a blog."

"Oh, a vog."

"No, a Christian blog."

"Does it get hot and sloppy?"

"Sometimes, it does."

Unfortunately, we were interrupted. He was relieved and the awkward conversation stopped due to the line being moved.

The truth is my mustached acquaintance reminded me that it does get hot and sloppy. And that's okay.

Whenever you choose to follow after Jesus, your life doesn't become perfect. Too many people think that a true mark of a Christian is that we have all of our stuff together.

But the truth is, whenever you follow Christ, life gets sloppier.

It's a beautiful mess.

You are called to love people, who you couldn't have loved before. Sometimes God even wants you to sit in the mud with them. You aren't called to live a neat, predictable life anymore, but one of faith. One that doesn't always make sense. One that will never make sense to the rest of the world.

So stop trying to be the "perfect, neat Christian" who has all their stuff together. Instead, strive to live a vulnerable life that depends on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You'll be amazed at how hot and sloppy it can get.

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