Bubble-Wrapped Christians

My dad sent me something the other day that got me thinking.

It was a video by the Skit Guys, Christian comedians. In this particular video, the two men were meeting in a coffee shop as accountability partners, but they were wrapped in so much bubble wrap that they looked like the Michelin man. Every time one of them would start confiding his struggles, the other would shrink back into his own bubble wrap. Each man wanted to hide from the reality and pain of this broken world, like a turtle hiding in their shell from a predator. The first would quickly change their direction of conversation and say something spiritual instead. Putting on the facade of a perfectionist Christian life.

Living our "perfect" lives makes others feel comfortable. Sin is not a comfortable topic. So we allow it to hide in the darkness. In the darkness, where secreted sins thrive and grow into monsters that are harder to defeat with every passing day. But we're too attached to our comfortable little "bubbles of holiness" to do anything about it. Without our bubbles, we feel exposed. People will see our imperfections!

The scene continues as the two men struggle to empty their Splenda packets into their coffee. They bemoan the warfare of Christendom. In reality, the struggles they faced were the burdens that they placed on themselves. They attempt to hug and comfort one another in brotherly love. Due to their bubble wrap armor, they are incapable of getting too near one another.

Are we so consumed in our own holiness that we are no longer able to touch the world around us?

During a summer of working at a summer camp, the staff would often talk over large theological topics. One of the guys presented the concept of heartbreak in a way I had yet to consider:

Jesus loved us KNOWING that His heart would be broken...

Ministry can hurt! After so many wounds on our hearts, we, being human, tend to shut down so we can stop hurting. But in protecting ourselves, (bubble wrapping our hearts, so to speak) we prevent ourselves from being able to minister effectively.

It is only natural to want to protect ourselves, and you need to!

NOTE: I'd encourage you (ministry kids) to sit down with your parents and talk about the boundaries you should implement for your safety. Ministry is not just for your parents. It's as much yours as you make it.

While it's important for us to protect ourselves, safety often is overlooked or undermined. In modern terms, Christians push the idea of sacrifice over safety. I am NOT saying sacrifice isn't important. Rather, I want to stress the importance of a balanced approach to sacrifice and safety. Sometimes, because of our natural instinct, I suspect that safety might not be the area in which we struggle. At least, that's not where I struggle after so many personal disappointments.

Eventually, we all build our cozy shells into which we recede when there is any danger of becoming too emotionally vulnerable and judged for our humanity. I get it. It can be scary and exhausting and altogether uncomfortable! But if we're going to be effective ministers of the Gospel, we cannot live in our shells away from the world.

Would you be willing to open up and talk to someone who seems to never struggle? I wouldn't! I want to encourage you to build relationships. People are hurting and they need Jesus! That's the whole point of ministry. Theoretically, you could end it here. You kind of seem to wrap it up, and the following information seems to potentially lend itself to another article. The importance of rest is a crucial topic.

One thing I'm thankful my family did was to make sure we got away. My dad often teases that resorts are biblical

go into the wilderness (resort) for rest

(gotta come apart before you come apart)

relationship with God comes before ministry.

set realistic boundaries for your heart