Putting Up A Facade

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Is there anything more fundamental than our need for forgiveness? Is there anything more costly than forgiveness?

We are constantly attempting to put up facades that communicate to everyone around us that we are doing just fine. In reality, there may be times when we are in fact doing fine but wait a little while and we’re sure to run into something less than desirable. And what if that something is actually a character flaw within ourselves?

If we’re being honest we’ll understand what Paul is talking about when he writes the following to the Roman church,

“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”

If Paul is telling the truth, and he is, then we are in quite the bind. We may present ourselves as righteous people, but deep in the depths of our sinful hearts we know the truth. We are just as guilty as the next person.

But what a treasure we find when we accurately understand our sinfulness and our desperate need for a saviour. When we come to terms with our spiritual bankruptcy we quickly realize that there is only one who truly lived the sort of life that we all know we ought to live. That carpenter-turned-teacher from Nazareth is the only sinless one. That is why John the Baptist so eloquently explained that he was unworthy to even untie the thong of Jesus’ sandals.

May we have the same mindset as John. May we accept Jesus’ forgiveness and then extend that same grace toward one another. Even this week, may we bend our will toward our Jesus in graciously forgiving our brothers and sisters. This is the only reasonable response once we have experienced the mercy of Christ.

We do this as we continue striving to be “The Hand of God in the Heart of the City.”

Alex Macleod
Chaplain, The Gateway