I live in a city in India where Christians still have freedom to worship together. In fact, I live in a part of town which we jokingly (and unofficially) call the “Bible Belt.”

In a five-mile radius from where I live, there are two thriving Bible colleges, not to mention dozens of churches, Christian schools, Catholic convents where nuns brew wine, and rectories where priests make cheese. Drive down the road, and you’ll see tiny stores with names like “Jireh Tire Shop” and “Faith Pharmacy.” You’ll see posters for revival meetings and announcements about Christian book fairs.

Yet, this Bible belt is rife with brokenness. I mean that quite literally. Roads dug up to lay underground pipes have been abandoned for months, even years. Sidewalks lie in dismal ruins. Construction debris lies forlornly scattered. Trash piles up in heaps. Walking anywhere requires ninja-level skills.

Just this week, as I ran an errand, I actually prayed for balance and dexterity to navigate a 5-minute walk—the sidewalk right outside churches and worship centers was an obstacle course of dangerous debris. 

Friend, as we navigate this Christian life, have we learnt to quietly ignore the rubble? Here’s the thing: while we have been bought with the blood of Christ, we still experience brokenness.  We continue to live in a fallen world. Our old sin nature is at war with our new redeemed beings. We still walk through some of the debris of our past. 

However, as “Bible Belt” Christians, we are often blind to our own brokenness. Yet, there is still litter in our lives that has not been cleaned up.

Friend, today, could I encourage us to be vulnerable before the Lord? 

The world offers only one way to deal with the past: self-reflection or introspection.

But a child of God has a far more wonderful option: humbling ourselves before Him. We get to cry out: 

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” Psalm 139:23–24 (NIV)

May God show us the dirt and debris in our lives that we have been ignoring because we have constructed Christian monuments around them.

Most of us Bible Belters are fluent in Christianese. We have learned to hide behind masks for fear of judgment from others. But hiddenness doesn’t serve us. If anything, it hinders us. Pretending is exhausting, while vulnerability before God is freeing.

As the Psalmist says: “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away… Then I acknowledged my sin to you… and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

As we come before the Throne of grace with boldness, let us also come with a posture of humility and vulnerability. 

There is no holier place—and yet, there is no safer place. 

The brokenness of our past can only be healed before a holy and merciful God.  May we not walk past the debris, but may we bow low before the Divine Healer.  

 

---

If this blog resonated with you,  SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. I would love a Facebook or Instagram follow or share if you’re on social media. Thanks a ton for stopping by! See you next week.