CAN WE BE HONEST?
This news about Ted Haggard messed me up. I don't know if anyone besides the media is talking about it, but I may as well blog it. Some of our pastoral team recently heard him speak, and loved him. I've read his books.
If you don't know, Ted Haggard pastored New Life Church (14,000 members) and was president of the National Association of Evanglicals (that's basically all Bible-believing Christians).
The story breaks. Truth is disclosed. Sordid facts are uncovered. Rumors fly. A family wrestles with the complications (he had a wife and five kids). Believers distrust. A church rebuilds admist the carnage. We all talk and watch. We all look in the mirror. I wonder, "if he could fall, what hope do I have?"
This isn't the first time or the last time our leaders, mentors, and fathers have failed. Dropped the ball. Mislead or deceived. But every time it hurts and stirs doubt.
I write this because it's my journey. At times like this, I turn introspective. I question my own humanity. I wrestle with my own temptations. And I wonder, "Why didn't he go to somebody before it got this big? Didn't he have a friend that he could talk to honestly?"
Do we have those kinds of accountable frienships. Not just friends, but people that we can be gut-honest with, no-hold-barred honest. I have a very selective few friends that I bare all to, and I must, to protect me from the festering of hidden, undisclosed sins. So, I make sure that I confess, let it out, find help and hope. And I find it amazing, the moment I confess, temptation looses its grip. Once it's in the light, darkness hides.
So, find a friend. Not just a buddy, but a co-warrior. Someone who you deeply trust and share life with them. Don't hold back. Be completely real with your spouse. Find a true friend who knows everything you struggle with and still stands with you and prays for you. This isn't optional. It's a life necessity. Let's be honest! Let's get real. Never do it alone.
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