Are We Being Real?

Are you like me and hear the comment, 'you need to be real', a lot?  What does that mean to you, when you hear it?  I know in church circles what it normally means.  It means for us to be honest, to be truthful, to admit we are human and make mistakes and to understand that others do to.  It is important for Christians to be real - with each other, with the unsaved but most of all with God.


I mean seriously guys, He knows the truth anyway so why to we try to 'pretty it up'?  He knows every mistake and failure we have made (or will make).  I know one reason we try to make it sound better, we are ashamed of what we have done and we are afraid He won't love us, yet He knew it before we did it.


We have the same problem with people, we are afraid if they know that we committed some sins, folks will shun us, they will look down at us.  And unfortunately many times they will. 


There is a video that keeps circling Facebook, actually there are a few of them.  They are of a church choir singing a song  'Say Amen'.  As the song is being sung, members come up holding signs.  Those signs show the things the person did, had happen or was involved in on one side of the sign.  On the other side they show the outcome through the grace of Jesus.  I've watched these and seen those who were addicted to drugs and alcohol, adultery, those who had cancer, who lost loved ones.  The outcomes were deliverance, healing, comfort and strength to walk through the situation.  As I've watched these I noticed something, I've noticed some 'sins' that don't seem to be represented.  As I thought about it, I wondered is that because there is no one there who went through this or is it because, there are some problems we still believe God can't forgive?  Or at the very least, even if God forgave, we think our fellow Christians can't handle. 


I could be wrong, maybe in those different churches, no one had these issues but if that's true, it's sad we aren't reaching them.  Some of the ones I noticed 'missing' - abuse - not the victim but the abuser and secondly prostitution.  Maybe they were in more 'correct' terms.  I mean" sexually active" could involve prostitution and "problems in my life almost cost me my family" could refer to abuse. 


But my question is even when we are acknowledging God's power and forgiveness are we truly 'getting real'.  Now there are those that say 'you don't need the details' and you are so right, I don't.  But if we are sugar coating, we are not acknowledging all the Lord has done  If that's not the case and there are none that come forward with these 'sins' is it because they believe God's grace only covers some things and others are too bad for Him to handle or at least too bad for His children to handle?


Please don't misunderstand, I love the videos I've seen and I rejoice as I see the things God has done.  But are we as Christians still keeping some things 'taboo' to talk about?  And if we are, is that keeping us from reaching those that have these issues?  It's another blog where I'm not sure the answers, I just wonder when we say we are getting real, are we honestly?