Going public…

"Going public”…it doesn’t always have to involve something big…although it may be big deal to the person involved.  Some ladies don’t want their laundry room to “go public”…there’s a pile of clothes but there’s a list of things to do that’s quite a bit bigger… For some kids, they’d rather keep their grade in algebra from going public… especially around their parents.  The list goes on and on…  Often times, people will do crazy things to keep something from going public… Why…they worry about what it will do to their reputation… they worry they might get in trouble… they worry what others will think… they worry…

However, sometimes going public is a good thing… it brings freedom… they no longer have to hide the truth… it’s out in the open and everyone knows about it…

So I guess there’s something that I need to “go public” with…Maybe I’ve already told you… or maybe you’ve seen me driving…. Here it is…don’t laugh… I drive a 1992 Chevy Cavalier… even more, it’s losing its paint, the trim's all falling off, and the steering makes a funny little noise when I turn.   Yup, I graduated from college… I even have a master’s degree… Nope, I can’t afford more… this is my real status.  Even more, I didn’t pay for it… it was given to us, because I didn’t have anything else to drive (probably one of the biggest blessing given to me this year!).  Does that change what you think of me?  Does that change what I think of myself?  I’m not quite sure…

More confessions…Sometimes I try to get away from people connecting the 92 Cavalier with Adam Weber…  I’ll park where people can’t see me get in and out… I’ll show up early to an appointment… Why… What would people think?  People driving much nicer cars may wonder what I do for a living… maybe this guy is unemployed… maybe he didn’t go to college…  Even more, I love cars… so for a guy who particularly likes cars, driving a 92 Cavalier is a bit of a sensitive issue…

It may sound crazy unless you start thinking about your own “92 Cavalier”… the thing that you’re sensitive or insecure about… or the thing that you wish was different about yourself… that when you’re honest, you hide… or just don’t mention… your parents, your weight, your marriage problems or your lack of a “relationship” at all, your job, your body, your education, your lack of ability in some area, your past, your whatever…  maybe I’m not so crazy huh… maybe you can relate quite well.

Why are we always trying to be something different than we really are… (note: the becoming more like Christ is a different message for another day)… why are we always trying to hide…why are we constantly trying to validate ourselves to others… why are we always trying to validate ourselves…to ourselves. 

What if I were ok with just Adam Weber….Adam Weber and the fact that he drives a 92 Cavalier…nothing to impress you…. no mask… nothing hidden… just Adam Weber.  All over Scripture, it talks about us having the option of becoming “children of God”… something I’ve probably mentioned or you’ve heard about before…  what if being a child of God is simply enough…enough validation for others… enough validation for myself… and what if the fact that I’m a child of God covers…trumps everything else…  What if I no longer have anything to be insecure about or hide… because my dad… did you hear that… my dad is God the Father… it’s true he really is… because of that my not so sweet car, my imperfect childhood, my insignificant last name...no longer matter very much… because of that, I find rest regardless of what anyone else may think.

Lord over the years… I had to hand so many things over to you… I’m constantly replacing you with so many random things… even down to the car I drive… tomorrow it won’t be my car, it’ll be something different… I look back at all the things I’ve gotten myself all tripped up about and now they all seem completely insignificant…and some stupid… frankly, I’m a bit sick of “hiding” it…trying to be or have something that I just don’t have.. instead of hiding it, help me to be alright with everything because of who I am in relation to you… I’m your beloved Child… that somehow is enough… help me to remember that Lord.  Not only that, help me to rejoice in that truth… I am yours… your child Lord… and because of that I have everything…Amen.