Salon Imperfections

Y'all know salons are breeding grounds for gossip, right? Salons in super small towns, well they just know everything and everybody and everything about everybody.

A couple weeks ago, I spent a couple hours in our local salon getting a fabulous new style. During that time, I also learned more about the people in the town than I ever cared to know. More specifically, I learned more about the people in church than I thought possible.

I'm not a spreader of gossip, so you're not going to get any juicy tidbits here.

However, I was delighted to learn that my church is absolutely full of imperfect people.

Don't get me wrong, I never believed that the people were sinless or completely perfect. But with only a few exceptions in my personal experience, they have seemed a little more perfect than christians I've met in the past. It wasn't from anything they said, just how well they came together and how beautifully they do church.

It's a compliment and not a backhanded one either. These people do church so well. They admit it's taken time and pain and prayer to get where they are.

I've had the opportunity to take visitors three times. Each time, the sentiment has been the same. Everyone is so nice. Everyone seems to like each other. The minister is just a regular guy. There's no intimidation, no separation of class.

My past churches didn't do church very well. One had so many changes that it struggled and the people failed. I think they've probably improved with time. The other we didn't attend long, but also had a pastor change and growing pains.

This church, been there done that and came back again.

While the minister is young, the church is solid. There is a fair mix of all ages. The preaching is true to the Word. The music is a good mix of new and old. They genuinely want people to get involved and I've not seen an overwhelming sense of self promotion and ownership.

As newbies to the church and area, we've had a few people do an excellent job of making sure we are ok in that. We've needed that. It's been hard and we've needed that kind of care. They've gone far beyond our expectations.

You can see why it's easy to say they do church more perfectly than we've ever experienced.

I'm not going to lie. Tucked away in my heart and mind, I've questioned if maybe it was a little too perfect. Keep in mind, I don't know many people well at all. I see them come to church, love each other and God and that's it. I can assume they are broken people. They don't act like the broken people I've previously seen in church, but I can make that assumption.

Given my background, it doesn't take long in getting to know me that you see my brokenness. It's a big part of my life, can't hide it. So, it's also easy to feel like the most or only broken one in a group. I don't put on a mask when it comes to that. I don't want to. Christians and non christians alike need to know the greatness of God and that church is exactly where broken people belong.

So sitting in the small town gossip palace, I had the lives of people put on display. The good, the bad, the ugly and the really ugly.

My assumptions were correct. These people aren't perfect. Id rather have learned that from them, but it quieted those questions about whether I fit in there.

Those people who do church so perfectly...

Well, they've learned the beauty of church in the midst of their brokenness. They've learned to love each other despite their struggles. They've learned to embrace the Holy Spirit and to accept and offer grace.

These imperfect people know the value of church and have become a family. It's beautiful and I love it. I love them.