At a recent book signing, actually one of my very first (for the ‘You Are Victorious’ book), I realized how Adam and Eve must've felt in the garden when they first realized that they were naked. "Adam where are you?" God called out to them. When Adam came to God, he was covered with a fig leaf and said that he was afraid because he was naked. God said "Who told you you were naked?" That is a really good question because there really was no one who told them. It was their own failings and sin that made it apparent. Writing a book has been a very vulnerable experience but one of the best of my life. Sharing your life story, especially a very difficult season in my life, was, as one of the youth so eloquently put it, like letting people read your mind. "It was like reading your diary." She said. "I felt like I was reading something I wasn't supposed to read."
I guess it was then first that it hit me that I'd share things in my book, personal things, that I really don't talk to a lot of people about, if any at all. My own mother said she feels like she now knows me like she had never before. Now, its one thing for your mother to read your intimate thoughts but to realize that complete strangers and even worse people who know you are going to be reading them was for just a moment very frightening. So now I'm at a book signing and people were actually buying the book and telling me they're going to read it...that is when realized I was naked.
"Where am I with that?" I could almost hear God ask me. "Where am I with the idea of people officially in writing knowing how imperfect I am?" Of course that is no surprise...none of us are perfect and all of us have sinned, erred and made mistakes. Not just "preachers of L.A."...But like so many of us, for most of my adult life, I have tried to cover how flawed a person and pastor I am. Actually in retrospect, the hiding was worse than any sin or error I ever made and feeling I needed to be perfect was a great bondage and hindrance to authentic high impact ministry. So "Where am I?" ...I am free, I am empowered by no longer hiding behind the fig tree of the lie of perfection which was never required of me by God. I am so thankful God has called me to seek a holy, righteous and perfect God striving to be my best. But He alone is God- He alone flawless. I encourage you to be the best mother, father, preacher, man woman, husband or wife you can be but do not try to pretend that you are perfect. You aren't...You're Victorious which means you can overcome your imperfections and continue to win every day!
