White Washing

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I ended my Saturday by having dinner with my dear friend tonight. She is brilliant. A self made biblical scholar who actually does her best to be a disciple of Christ. I admire her so much and her opinion and input is something I consider priceless.  After a much needed kick in the butt and a pat on the head from our time together I was drawn to pray.  I guess God finally recalculated my GPS because as soon as I said amen, I was drawn to a passage in scripture-

"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs--beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity.” Matthew 23:27

I had to ask myself am I a whitewashed tomb? Short answer, sort of. I am trying. I can say that much. I am doing my best to follow God and do the basics. But I have been apprehensive to go that step further and do what I know God wants me to do. And God wants me to do it without whitewashing. By doing that I do a disservice to God. 

My friend has been aware of a project that God laid on my heart a few years ago and she inquired into it’s progress. I honestly told her that I kept veering from that because it was falling flat.  I would get hung up on the packaging. It is not what I think it is supposed to look like because it doesn't look like the other things.

I find that, through instinct, I want to whitewash myself, my world and this project to make it all more appealing to the Christian in crowd. I did this repeatedly and when I approach this project it falls flat and I walk away from it. I feel defeated and questioning Gods plan. 

It is not Gods plan that causes me defeat.  It is my lack of trust in God that makes me feel defeated. I fail to trust that God has equipped me for this or any task he calls on me for.  He wants me, just me, as he made me to do these things.  He does not want the person I think he wants.  He wants me just as I am! 

Where I see flaws he sees opportunities.  Where I see heartbreak he sees hope.  Where I see humor he sees connection. Where I see joy he sees friendship.  Where I see fear he sees trust. Where I see confusion he sees a teaching moment. Where I see a glimpse of Jesus he sees success!

I have decided that it is time to change. I am not going to a builder of a grave yard filled with whitewashed tombs. I do not want to leave that as a legacy from my life on Earth.  I am choosing to follow what God wants and move forward and not care about the outward appearance of it all. 


God is wanting me to take a sledge hammer to the facade and do what is authentic. Authentic Christianity is Discipleship.  Authentic Christianity is counter culture. I am committing to being done with white washing.

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