There will be rocks.

These last two years have been a weird learning experience. From the Stuff Christians Like book to the blog, it’s been this fire hose moment of trying to communicate and share and not fail and take risks and try new things. In the midst of that, I feel like I’ve learned something about communicating …

there will be rocks.

When you speak to someone or blog to someone, they are often holding rocks in their hands. The rocks are built of all the negative experiences they’ve ever had with the idea you’re trying to tell them about. I think this is true of everything from faith to organized sports. As you talk to them, they hold their rock, a rock composed of a dad that forced them to play baseball even though they hate it. They hold a rock composed of a church they fell in love with only to have the pastor have an affair. They hold a rock full of all the conversations they’ve had with hypocrites and liars who once shared the same idea you are.

And they want to throw it at your idea. To unleash that rock.

The temptation Christians face often is to pretend that rock isn’t there. There’s a weird dynamic that we believe. We sometimes think that if we admit the church fails or that Christians fail, it means that God fails. So instead of admitting the rocks are there, we ignore them. Or we try to come up with excuses for them or shine them up or dress them up.

But I think that’s the wrong thing to do.

What I’ve learned is that the best thing to do is to confess those rocks are there. To get off your platform, whether in a one on one conversation or on a blog, and stand beside the person and say honestly, “Hey, you’ve got a rock in your hand. It’s a rock that I helped put their with my own hypocrisy and mistakes.” And then, once you’ve said that, once you’ve built a relationship that is real, I think you can ask them for the rock. You can say, “Can we talk about that rock? And while we talk, can I hold it for you?”

You know what happens when they give you their rock? Their hands are open and empty. They can now hold something new in those hands. Something like truth and mercy and grace. You can hand them something new when they hand you something old.

There will be rocks, but that’s OK.

We serve a Christ who knows a thing or two about moving rocks.