We are all ragamuffins (1 of 3)

   Of all of the books I have read this past year, maybe even in my lifetime, The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning has affected and helped me the most. Subtitled, "Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out", its a book that seems like it was written for me. I know it wasn't, but it resonated so much with me, and got down to where I am, that it may as well have been written just for me.

  Book description:
A Furious Love Is Hot on Your Trail!

Many believers feel stunted in their Christian growth. We beat ourselves up over our failures and, in the process, pull away from God because we subconsciously believe He tallies our defects and hangs His head in disappointment. In this newly repackaged edition—now with full appendix, study questions, and the author’s own epilogue, “Ragamuffin Ten Years Later,” Brennan Manning reminds us that nothing could be further from the truth. The Father beckons us to Himself with a “furious love” that burns brightly and constantly. Only when we truly embrace God’s grace can we bask in the joy of a gospel that enfolds the most needy of His flock—the “ragamuffins.”

Are you bedraggled, beat-up, burnt-out?

Most of us believe in God’s grace—in theory. But somehow we can’t seem to apply it in our daily lives. We continue to see Him as a small-minded bookkeeper, tallying our failures and successes on a score sheet.

Yet God gives us His grace, willingly, no matter what we’ve done. We come to Him as ragamuffins—dirty, bedraggled, and beat-up. And when we sit at His feet, He smiles upon us, the chosen objects of His “furious love.”
  Our churches are full of ragamuffins: Bedraggled, beat-Up, and burnt out people. And in too many churches, they feel they have to hide it.

  A few years ago, I wrote a blog about Christians wearing masks, and did a follow up to it a week or so later. We obviously don't want people crying all the time about how hard they are having it, but all too often we encourage people to put up a facade that everything is OK. People are afraid to speak up and admit that no, everything isn't OK.

  We have given this idea, depending on different churches, that you go to the altar and get saved, then go again for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and you're set for life. Your Christian experience is going to be just hunky dory...... but what about the ragamuffins? The bedraggled, beat-up, the burnt-out? What about the ones who have a hard struggle?

  I do. Its one that would cause a lot of people to avoid me, condemn me, or run if I spoke up and asked for prayer, so I have struggled alone in the very place where I should have been able to get the most help: church.

  Another issue I deal with is depression. Even that isn't an easy thing to deal with in the church. Too many Christians still consider it a spiritual issue. I had someone tell me I just needed to pray more and get in a better place with God. When you are severely depressed, you often can't pray. Its like praying to the ceiling. The prayers just fall back and smack you in the face, and seemingly go unheard and unanswered. It was much worse than anyone knew, yet I didn't feel I could speak up during prayer request time, and why not?

  Is the church not a place for hurting people? For sinners? Strugglers? Is it not the family of God, "when one has a heartache, we all share the tears?" But what if the church has become a place where you don't feel comfortable sharing a heartache or struggle? What if your issue doesn't fall into the "nice sins" category?

  I'm not trying to knock my church, but its where I go, so of course I would use it for an example. I don't like everything about it, nor do I agree with everything, but no church is perfect. If I found a perfect church, I sure wouldn't be allowed there... My church, and many others, have almost forced people to put forth a facade that all is OK. It seems to be expected that everyone gets the same experience and in the same amount of time.

  There aren't just people in the church who only told a few lies before becoming a Christian. Some of them did "worse" sins. What about the drug addict? The alcoholic? The homosexual? God will forgive any sin and loves all sinners equally, but sadly not all churches will love all sinners or welcome them all. Only people who have done the "nice sins."  There's no room for the ragamuffins who don't have it all together, who still stumbles or falls occasionally.

  The church should be a hospital for the broken and hurting, not a museum for the healthy, but too many churches have closed access to those who need it most. Too many churches are not at all like the God of love we are to serve and be like.

  God loves us all, and is waiting to forgive all sins, from lying to murder and child molesting. No sin is pretty, all sinners will go to hell if they do not repent. The church cannot pick and choose which sinners are welcome in their midst. If we were truly like Jesus, we would be hanging out with the worst of sinners, but we are afraid to get dirty. Sad.

  As for my depression, I have learned to combat it in other ways, not that I am knocking medications. Most days, I have a pretty good handle on it, and hopefully can get totally on top of it with God's help.

   The truth is not always convenient. The truth is, we are all ragamuffins. All of us are going to deal with something, whether it be a besetting sin, an issue like depression, marriage problems - the possibilities are endless - but at some point, we are going to find ourselves beat-up, bedraggled, and burnt-out. Are we going to hide it and keep up our facade, or will we step forward? Its not easy, especially if the church atmosphere seems to discourage it, but it may be the only way to get past it.