A Man of Sorrows

He was despised and forsaken of men,   

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, 

Smitten of God, and afflicted. 

Isaiah 53:3-4

As I was flipping through my Bible recently, I came across these verses and they hit me in a way they had not before.

Sometimes when I look at the Christian world, on the surface I see polished people trying to hold it together. I see people trying to maintain a certain reputation, a certain facade.

As Christians, a message we hear a lot is that we should be the most joyful people. We should be the most satisfied people. We should never have a bad day, an irritating moment, or any reason to be upset. Of course the Bible does say rejoice always, but I think too often, whether we realize it or not, we take this message we hear and it skews our openness. It confuses us. We become less of humans, and more like models on magazine covers. 

I know the struggles of my own heart, I know the pain I face daily. I know my own sorrows. Surely, every other Christian out there shares in this with me. Yet something does not seem quite right.

Our Christian reputation concerns us more than our ability to be vulnerable and honest, our ability to be real. Truth is, the only perfection and genuine 'Christian reputation' that has ever changed anything or anyone was that of Jesus. We don't need to be perfect - because HE is and was that for us.

I understand the desire of wanting to be something, the aspiration to meet goals relating to success or character, especially in the sense of spiritual maturity. Nevertheless, before we can focus on where we want to be, we need to realize where we are. And sometimes looking at where we are is one of the most painful things. Looking at where we are forces us to look at our mistakes, our failings, our regrets, and our seemingly never ending struggles. It means we must FEEL something, rather than maintaining that 'put-together Christian' facade. However, if we do not realize those feelings, if we do not open ourselves up to the painful parts of our imperfections, of our struggles, then we can never truly grow.

And I encourage you to feel, because of all people, Jesus felt the most. He was a man of sorrows. He felt every kind of pain. He was acquainted with grief. And He knows the pain you feel - because He carried our sorrows, including yours and mine.