Cracked Pots

I was cruising the blogosphere this morning and stumbled upon Drew Marshall's interview on 100 Huntley Street. Drew returned to Canada a few years after we left, so I wasn't real familiar with his in-your-face style, but a few minutes into the interview it was obvious that the hosts were having second thoughts. Their mouths said, "glad you're here", but their faces said, "get us the Program Director... NOW!" The highlight of the interview came during the first segment when Drew said that the hosts were like "Barbie and Ken dolls". He later commented that he was referring to their good looks and was not implying that they were at all plastic or fake.

The reality is, however, that Marshall unapologetically believes that most churches today are filled with people who put on their Sunday perma-smile, and would have you believe that they have it all together. This has been my experience too. In fact, for several years, I suited up and went to the "big show". I did have authentic relationships with a few close friends, but most people looked at me and assumed all was well, based purely on my polished exterior.

I remember a good friend preaching on the importance of sincerity. He explained the words latin roots were "sin" (without) and "cere" (wax). In the ancient world, pot makers would occassionally break a pot. So they would glue it back together with candle wax and paint it. and to the naked eye (and even the clothed one) it would look perfectly fine. It wasn't until the buyer took it home and filled it with hot soup that the wax would melt and the pot would fall apart. A cracked pot.

Life tends to reveal our imperfections, and no amount of clever disguise can cover them up. And why should we? Better to be known and loved for who we are, cracks and all, then to be known and loved under false pretenses, right?

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