Honesty and Freedom

Have you ever had a friend with whom you could share every detail of your life without hesitation or fear that he would tell other people? Have you ever had someone with whom you could share even your worse day, even your most vile thought? The thing you are most ashamed to ever mention? ... I venture to guess that for most people the answer to this question is no. You might be thinking things like "my friends don't want to know that about me," or "I don't want anyone to ever know that, they might not like me anymore."

As I have grown up going to church and learning how to love God I inherited a very common misconception about communication with God. I always heard verses about how joyful God makes people, and at church we always sing songs about how great God is. And let me say, he is great, and he is the only true source of love, joy, hope... the list goes on and on. But that is all I ever heard, and all I ever saw were robotic people walking around acting like everything was perfect. For me, heartbreak and loving God were completely unrelated.

But what about the days when you just don't feel like singing? You know what I'm talking about. You wake up void of joy, and on top of that you feel completely guilty for not wanting to even think about the joy that God provides.

But, let's face it. It is a lie to always pretend to be happy. It is a lie that Christians should always smile at everyone and never let anyone see that we are hurting. We make excuses like, "I don't want to burden anyone else with my problems."

What about God? Do you think that anything you say can burden him?

In Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

God wants a relationship with us. A RELATIONSHIP. This is a two way street. Think of your relationship with your best friends. In a healthy relationship, each shares his joys and heartbreaks. God want us to make a joyful noise, but he wants us to be honest with him. If we don't feel like making a joyful noise. He wants to know it and he wants to know why. When we do this, God's heartaches are shared with us, and that is the fact that people don't know him, the fact that there are people on this earth who will not be with Him in eternity. See, you are not the only one with a broken heart. Amy Grant's song "Better than a Hallelujah" says it like this...

God loves a lullaby
In a mothers tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.
God loves the drunkards cry,
The soldiers plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah.

The woman holding on for life,
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done,
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The silence when the words won't come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah
Better than a church bell ringing,
Better than a choir singing out,singing out.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

Let's be honest with God today.