Perhaps you're friends with "that" girl. You know her--"the perfect one" whose kids never get in trouble and whose house is totally Pinterest worthy. Do encounters like that mess with you and bring up all the feelings? Insecurity. Frustration. Maybe even shame and guilt?
Despite living in an age where filters are at our fingertips and Christians have been criticized for being "holier than thou," we've come to value transparency and vulnerability. And rightly so. We should be getting real with each other about our junk.
But should we stop there? Should we simply gather to confess and commiserate about our current version of "me"? Is community about more than just confession and feeling understood by one another in our shortcomings, struggles, or sin? Or does God have actual change in store for us on the other side? Is there something more than just brokenness? The answer is yes. Growing in our faith means we are honest and holy.
In Sick of Me, Whitney Capps praises the virtues of vulnerability, accessibility, honesty, and humility that are so desperately needed for faith-building communities. But she also fights for more. She helps us see that we shouldn't swing so far against legalism or hypocrisy that our faith becomes the feel good fad of the day. For Whitney, finding your "authentic self" is valuable, but has never been the call of the gospel. Instead, it's a call to come and die. Yes, we can come to Jesus just as we are. But we cannot stay that way. The gospel is a change-agent. Whitney calls us live a sanctifying life that moves from confession to change because though transparency can be easy and trendy, true transformation is hard.
