Hiding in plain sight

How easy it is to hide in plain sight, hiding ourselves behind our smiles and our suits. In church no one is hurting, no one is afraid. Everyone is happy and content. We pray for someone’s Aunt who is having knee replacement surgery but we never confess our sins out of fear of judgment and perhaps having to swallow our pride. How odd that everyone at church is so happy when the human condition is described in such raw terms in the Bible. I wonder how we would react if people stopped hiding. Would we embrace them and circle the wagons like a family should? Would we open our mouths to pray, our arms to embrace, our hearts to love, our wallets to help? Or would we shun them or perhaps even seek a new fellowship where people are less raw and honest? Perhaps we seek out fellowships where we can hide because our pride prevents us from being real. Perhaps we are afraid that if we get too close, people will tell us about their problems and then we will feel obligated to do something. Better to occupy a pew for an hour or so. Sit down, shut up, pay attention and smile and then go home. We can put away our Sunday best and then face our own sins and failings and wounds safely behind closed doors where no one can see, no one can judge and no one can help. It is safer that way.