In the 80's there was a movie starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis called Perfect. She was an aerobics instructor and all of the characters were working out in pursuit of the perfect body. Lots of skin, no perfection attained.
Church.
When you drive by that beautiful church on 291, everything looks perfect. The bell tower is a wow. If you actually drive onto the property, the landscaping is perfect. The flowers, the trees, the bells chiming makes for a wonderful, perfect setting.
That doesn't mean the people are perfect. In fact, the opposite is true. Every single person that attends Woods Chapel is broken in one way or another, or many ways. The smiles and the hospitality, the love and the joy is not a sign of perfect people that have it all together. The signs of the spirit that you may see at church are simply signs of the presence of God and of broken people pursuing God.
Never look at anyone at church as perfect. Never think that the preacher is perfect. No far from it! But enjoy the beauty and the joy! Celebrate God! That is why we are there, but never forget that we are all sinners saved by grace. That is the thing that gets us up and headed in the right direction. That is what makes us continue to work to make the church a wonderful place. Not our being perfect, but the gratitude we have to a God who makes all things beautiful.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
1 comment:
It's a place that I know accepts me as I am, with all the missing pieces, parts that don't fit together quite right, an attitude that needs adjusting almost daily...
I'm so grateful to have a place, it's people, and God's infinite grace that helps me to strive for understanding and to feel 'whole'.
Tonia
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