"Perfect People"

This comes to us from Peggy Rayborn:
I heard this song “Perfect People” by Natalie Grant on the way to work this morning (May 28, 2009) and I thought it was so true. I wanted to share my thoughts with you and since I could not remember all of the words, I looked them up (see below) and discovered that I had misunderstood one of the words in the song. I heard the word “them” instead of “him”. This song talks about how we don’t want God to see our broken and scarred lives. We don’t want Him to see when we fall or when we are hurting. Although that may be true for those who have not given their life to God, I don’t have a problem with God seeing my not so perfect life. I know he knows my every thought; there is no hiding from God! I also know that I can turn to Him in my times of trouble and brokenness, because he already knows what’s underneath, there is no cover-up from God. There is no condemnation; He takes me as I am.

However, my thoughts were not on hiding from God, but hiding from our Christian brothers and sisters when I heard the song. Maybe that is why I thought the song was saying “them” instead of “Him”. I thought it was talking about how we hide our sins and our troubles from (them) our fellow Christian brothers and sisters. It’s true, we come to church with a smile, and we cover up what’s underneath. We don’t share our failures, our problems, and our brokenness with our brothers and sisters. I know you may be thinking -yes we do – we share prayer requests all the time. Yea, but for things like sickness, maybe even for financial problems, if it is because we have lost a job. Things that we think we will not be judged for. But, do we share that we have self-esteem problems, doubts about our ability to teach, our worthiness to serve, our ability to lead, our ability or failures as parents, our problems with our spouse or children or extended family. Do we share when there are problems of alcohol, drugs, or abuse, or do we hide because we are concerned we will be judged? It is so hard to be open sometimes. Believe me I know! There are times that as a pastor’s wife I have felt it best to not share problems and concerns that I or my husband or children have. People put their pastor and sometimes the deacons, or teachers on a pedestal – where they do not belong! Of course when you do this they will fall and they will disappoint you. Why? Because they are not perfect people.

When I was a teen, I and our entire church thought that we had the best pastor and preacher we had ever had serve our church. We loved him and his family, and felt so blessed to have him as our pastor. We had put him on a pedestal. But, one day I accidentally happened to find my pastor with another woman. Needless to say I was devastated. I could not understand why God would let a man who was obviously a gifted pastor fall and why I had to be the one to witness it? Of course, I now know he fell because he is just like the rest of us – not perfect. I also realized many years later when David decided he was being called into ministry that my past experience with my former pastor would help me understand my husband and his struggles as a pastor. What struggles you ask? To be perfect of course! He knows that he and his family are far from perfect, but do the people he leads truly understand? What do they really expect?

There are times that I have even counseled others to share their problems with a few trusted brothers and sisters and not to go before the entire church. Why? Because there are those who grace the pews of our churches with their presence every time the doors are open, (and I don’t just mean our church), who profess to be Christians, but do not have the love of Christ in their hearts. Instead of dropping to their knees in prayer with you, they can’t wait to spread gossip; they can’t wait to cause trouble for others, which causes trouble in the church. I hope this does not describe you.

If they only realized the harm they cause, if they could only see the number of people that turn away from a relationship with Christ because of their behavior. We are all human and there are no perfect people – only a perfect God. So, how can we change? Don’t judge others; instead seek for Christ to change you. Take time to pray, take time to read your Bible. It is the only way that as imperfect people we will be able to let the perfect God show through us.

Deuteronomy 10:12And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

1 Timothy 5:13
Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.

Philippians 1:9-11
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Natalie Grant - Perfect People
From the album Relentless
Never let him see you when your breaking
Never let him see you when you fall
Thats How We LiveAnd Thats How We Try

Tell The world you've got it all together
You never let him see whats underneath
We cover it upwith the crooked smile
but it only lasts for a little while

(chorus)there's no such thing as perfect people
there's no such thing as a perfect life
so come as you are, broken and scarred
lift up your heart and be amazed, and be changed
by a perfect God
yeaaa

Suddenly its like a weight is lifted
when you hear the words that you are loved
he knows where you are
and were you've been
and you never have to go there again

(chorus)Who lived, and died, to give you life
to heal our inperfections
so look up, and see love, and let grace be enough

There's no such thing as perfect people
YEAAA
There's no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scarred
lift up your heart and be amazed and be changed
by a perfect Godby a perfect Godby a perfect God
yyeaaa
by a perfect God
be changed by a perfect God
be changed