Cardboard Testimonies

This Sunday at Oasis (church), the message was about getting back to "the Way"; that is, the plan God has for your life, following Him, etc.

I was struggling a little through the sermon, but the end portion really hit home. Pastor Phillip called up a group of people for a presentation called Cardboard Testimonies. While the music team played and sang, one by one, these people took center stage and held up their placards. The one side would have a word, phrase or sentence about their life before Christ. They then flipped the board over and it was the same regarding their life after Christ.

This really hit home as I've been struggling to get back to church after so long. Having grown up in the church and participating in almost every activity possible, religion was always a social aspiration for me. As I continue to grow and mature in my adult life, I'm finding that it's just me and God; no one else. I left the whole church thing behind for a while and now I'm getting back.

It's strange because I'm realizing that I have neglected the basics of Christianity. I have felt awkward and alone in church for a while, feeling like I was a leper in a sea of the saved. Seeing this presentation was almost debilitating. Here were these people, congregation members and leaders alike sharing their struggles with all of us. Their ailments ranged from "snobbish Christian attitude" to cancer to prostitution.

I couldn't believe it. All of these people struggle. Most with things far worse than any plight of mine. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten how broken we all are. I'm not the only one who feels like this or that struggles. It's incredible the things I've forgotten while trying to "find myself." I'm finding myself here more and more each week - and it's still a struggle. It doesn't disappear at church, but I'm given the strength to overcome my fears and anxieties and grow. I grow. I am growing. It's something I continually have to remind myself.