Just 1 Reason

I remember the day I realized ‘real cheese’ wasn’t cheese that was PURE cheese, it was the BRAND ‘real cheese’. I was irritated! I felt like they pulled one over on me! Yup, just about cheese. That was years ago. But today, I’m thinking about that Real Cheese again. Am I real? Or am I just a ‘brand’? Oh how easy it is to be ‘just a brand’ in Christianity. I used to be real. I was crazy in love with God. Would tell anyone and everyone all about it! I was labelled ‘extreme’. It was like there was never a rain cloud or snow storm, only sunshine inside of my heart, because the biggest thing there was Jesus! And then one day….I became a brand. I became Real Cheese.
A brand is specific. There are specific expectations on a brand. You don’t expect Nike brand shoes to be made out of vinyl. With the expectations for that brand, they had better be leather! And Burger King, well, you better be able to have it ‘your way’! If you got a hamburger from them and found out it was boiled in water, you would be like ‘um, excuse me? Flame broiled Whopper, my way!’
I guess you could call this being stuck in a ‘box’. Having a ‘lid’ over you. That’s where I’ve been. There are sure some hefty expectations for a minister. I’m not just talking about spiritual qualifications…those are Biblical. There’s a look, a talk, a lifestyle, and lots of people think you are suppose to be ‘perfect’. Come on, when you think of ‘Preacher’, what’s the picture that comes to mind? It’s most likely not a woman, or someone in blue jeans, someone out having fun, or dancing around their living room crazy with the music blaring loud enough to be heard half way down the block! The problem with that is, God doesn’t just call ‘perfect’, cookie-cutter Christians to be preachers! I’ve tried the cookie cutter. I lost me. I’ve tried to be who others think I should be to fit that mold. And I’ve hated every minute of it. I’ve decided it’s time to be REAL. Not Real. God’s Word and love and message doesn’t just come through a 40 year old man in a 3 piece suit who spends hours and hours at a desk studying and praying. He said in the last day He would pour out His Spirit on ALL flesh!
It’s time to be Real. It’s time to be YOU. Trust me, you will enjoy it more. He made your skin, it’s okay to live in it.
Please excuse me while I un-kink my legs, stand up straight, and bash the walls and roof off of this box!!