The Mess Called "Church People"

Church people are a mess.

C.S. Lewis unintentionally reminded me of this in his book The Magician's Nephew.

The novel is the backstory of the Narnia series. 

There is one point in the story in which the protagonist and antagonist witnessed the creation of Narnia before their eyes. 

The protagonist asked his rival if he liked the new world they were in. 

This is what followed:

"Like it!" exclaimed Uncle Andrew. "Just look at the state I'm in. And it was my best coat and waistcoat, too." He certainly was a dreadful sight by now: for of course, the more dressed up you were to begin with, the worse you look after you've crawled out of a smashed hansom cab.

Church people are a mess.

We are a mess because the same blood runs through our veins as it does the rest of humanity.

It's not our blood that makes us different; it's Jesus' blood.

We are somewhat of a beautiful mess. But not everyone sees us as that.

We've hurt people on the outside. We've hurt each other. We don't always act Christ-like. The gospel isn't always our agenda.

Partly what makes it hurt so much is that Christians are seen as wearing their absolute best. But the more dressed up we appear to people, the worse we look to them after we sin.

While this isn't necessarily fair, it's the way that it is.

God still uses us in spite of this. He knows how we are. He knows who we are. He could have made us subhuman after becoming a Christian. However, just as he sent his son to be human, he has chosen for us to stay human.

Have you been hurt by church people?

Maybe you've dressed them up too much and now they look hideous. Maybe not. Either way try to remember that church people are just that--people.