Hole-y people

Found here

When I grew up I was taught to revere the leaders of my church. We often had pastors who were sent to our little set of city and country churches who either weren't wanted elsewhere, or who were just getting started. Let's put it this way: we were not the most desired congregations in the state. Even though my parents moaned and complained about some of the terribly put together sermons that we endured week after week, we still tried to be gracious to these men who served us. When I started speaking and I became the butt of criticism, I appreciated the values my parents tried to instill in us.

I knew that a number of the pastors I had contact with had problems with their kids. And some of the pastor's wives were somewhat problematic socially at times. But we were still careful about all of these things because these people lived in the public eye and this added another level of stress on an already burdened family--trying to be examples and still be normal people.

Imagine my shock then, when I began counseling Christian university students and started to hear about what happened in the homes of some of these clergy. One day, I learned that one of my childhood Christian heroes had had an affair with the parent of a client. I was stunned but couldn't let my feelings register on my face while I tried to console this girl and help her come to terms with the awful news she had just learned about her mother. The whole time I was trying not to be distracted by my inner review of the writing of this man, wondering if I could have seen a clue of this in his book(s).

It is difficult to have someone fall from grace in our mind. Sadly, it happens rather often. We would love to think that someone, somewhere, has it all together. They have a scintillating personality, are warm, always know what to say in challenging circumstances, have a high level of devotion to God but have both feet firmly planted on the ground, and their personal integrity is above reproach. I know very few people like this. There seems to always be a glitch, even though we can see them doing their best.

The man who was my spiritual father--whose speaking really touched my heart while I was an impressionable college student--he had affairs over the course of his ministry. He was never caught but talked about a lot. And what about a Christian leader whose professional innovations were Christ-centered? He had one affair after another, too. Then there are those good-hearted friends and family members who are well meaning, warm hearted--just the kinds of people you love to be around--and something happens and our trust in them is shaken.
This is much worse when it comes to those representatives of God whose great faith and knowledge of the scriptures we have admired and tried to emulate.

I suppose these things happen because as long as we live in this world there really is no one person whom we can hold up as the standard for perfect behavior. We cannot be those perfect conduits from God to the world that we think we need to be--the earthen vessels that hold within us the glory of God. We are like a drinking pitcher that is full of holes. It is amazing that we are able to hold anything good within us, given the varied issues with which every one of us struggle.

There was a time when I was fit to be tied about this: all these so-called godly people with glaring personal problems. But over the years I have learned that people's mistakes and weaknesses do not invalidate the truth of God's word, or the magnificence of His plans for us. I wish I knew this about 10 years ago, when I left this town for graduate school, just irate about the shortsightedness and lack of social awareness of some of my administrators. I didn't go to church for six months because I was resentful and didn't want to be associated with people who acted the way these two individuals had behaved. They had hurt me deeply. And both were classified as a Christian "Somebody". Couldn't prove it by me.

This flashed before my eyes yesterday when a student tearfully told me how shaken he was after reading a book about missionary children who were molested by their teachers. He wondered aloud about mission work, the gospel, and those who profess to be Christians. He had been so distraught after reading this book that he couldn't work on his dissertation for four days.
I found myself telling him that offense is bound to occur at the hands of those whom we trust. But it does not change the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It makes those who profess Jesus Christ to stink sometimes, but it does not, cannot diminish the perfection or truth of the Gospel.

We are hole-y people. What a marvel it will be to finally be in heaven when we can look back on the ways that we constantly fell short, but still we find ourselves in heaven. Should we aim to be perfect and emulators of Christ? Yes. Just as Abraham, who 'was as good as dead' was able to create an entire nation, we, who are recipients of the New Covenant, and who are spiritually as good as dead, are able to participate in the perfect plan of God. We extend grace to those who are just like us: trying to hold on to the glory of God as it leaks out of our earthen vessels.