Have you ever had one of those experiences where something feels or sounds so familiar, but you are receiving it differently than you did the first time? That happened to me this past Sunday in church. The message was on messaging. And given that this past Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday, this subject matter was spot on.
I believe it was $8 million dollars that the FOX Network received for a 30 second ad spot. I can’t even comprehend that, but as I sat in church Sunday my pastor proceeded to unpack eight Super Bowl commercials from past decades. He would play the commercial. Yes, in church. Scandalous. Then he would talk about the advertisement we just watched and how we all could learn a thing or two about messaging. You see, we hold within us the greatest message of all time. The Gospel. Yet, and I say this with humility, we really mess up the way we message Christ sometimes.
My biggest takeaway from the message on messaging were these four words.
“Be real, not religious.” ~Pastor Graeme Sellers
I can do that. That’s easy. I would much rather be my real self than a churchy, religious, holier-than-thou version of me. Been there, done that. It’s not fun, and it ends up being pretty lonely.
About seven years ago, I was invited to a Super Bowl party with the church I was attending at the time. I honestly don’t remember who played that year, but I certainly remember who was going to perform at halftime. My friend JT (Justin Timberlake.) I was not only excited about halftime, but I was looking forward to the commercials too. What someone at the church failed to tell me was that commercials weren’t going to be viewed, nor the halftime show. Say what?
Once my husband and I figured out that there were designated controllers of the remote control, we quietly slipped out during the second quarter shaking our heads. We went home and enjoyed a really amazing 12-minute halftime show by JT.
That party has been a trigger for me mentally, spiritually and emotionally every February for the last seven years. I find myself so angry and hurt when I think about how that particular community made me feel—the judgment, the shame, even embarrassment. I started to question my own moral bar. Was my Christianity not good enough? What was I not understanding?
But sitting in church this past Sunday, I literally felt God smile on me. “See Krista, my message is not about shaming you. People shame, not Me.” Ahh, the full circle moment. For the journey that I’m on, I needed to hear this. I needed to be reminded that people don’t have the power to convict me, only God can do that. And I’m learning that if conviction is wrapped in shame, it’s not from God.
You know that saying, ‘when you point the finger at others, there are several more pointing back at you?’ That is not my “point” for this post. (Ha ha, see what I did there?) I’m not calling out anyone. My purpose is to encourage us to recognize the times when we’ve been hurt by a message we’ve received. It’s important to acknowledge the hurt. It’s a real thing, We are all on a journey, a spiritual journey, and I’m realizing how much I learn about myself when I notice what hurts me and I name it. Not only am I learning how to process this, but I’m starting to recognize how my own messaging can affect others.
Be real, not religious. Words to live by.
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