The Grand Paradox: The Messiness of Life, the Mystery of God and the Necessity of Faith

by Ken Wytsma

We also grow through those negative aspects of church that we’d rather not acknowledge. We grow in Christ and grow in love by learning to work with challenging, negative people and stepping into leadership when necessary in order to pour time and wisdom into those less mature in their faith. Tilling the soil is useful toward the harvest, and breaking down a muscle makes it stronger. Much of what can be beautiful through community exists first in the messiness of community. When we realize the community is imperfect, we also realize that we are part of the imperfection that damages other people. It is easy to hide the junk in my own life that hurts other people when I just make my relationship with God purely about my solitary relationship with Him. In community, my imperfections are reflected back to me. These negative things—which we sometimes use as excuses for opting out of church—are actually part of the reason we need to be in church. As we learn how to respond to hard people and situations—how to forgive people, how to redeem situations, how to extend grace—we grow more in Christ. When other people extend grace to me and my faults, I see Christ in and through them. Being part of a messy spiritual family helps me remember that the whole story is much bigger than me. When I live in community, I am forced to make it about the kingdom of God for all people and not the kingdom of God purely for the benefit of me and me alone. If the conversation is truly about following a...