Have We Become Jaded?

by: Sheila

“Jaded”.

Webster’s dictionary: made dull or insensitive by excess – cynically or pretentiously callous

If you’ve walked with the Lord any length of time, you may have been made dull by what feels like an excess of church gatherings. You may have found yourself insensitive to conferences promising to heal your marriage, or order your finances, much less conferences that tell you they intend to bring down some mighty move of God. You might feel a bit cynical towards endless prayer meetings calling out for revival, and all the Christian books that, in reality, are just so....so "Oprah".

If you’ve walked with the Lord any length of time, you’ve also developed somewhat of a thick skin towards all the would-be converts who “get saved”, and then dramatically depart some length of time later, taking a large chunk of your heart with them. If you and I are not careful, that protective, thick skin can become "pretentiously callous".


“Callous”.

Webster’s dictionary: having calluses. Emotionally hardened.

Jaded. That’s what it is. Is it what we are? If so, it’s an ugly skin condition. If so, our jadedness can be reversed. We can become as little children again, fresh and baby skinned, and actually inherit the Kingdom instead of just read stuff about it. Nobody – I don’t care who you are – nobody is in more danger of becoming jaded, nobody has more chances to be hurt, to be rubbed the wrong way, and thus become a walking blister, and that walking blister become a walking, “pretentious callus”….nobody tends towards that danger MORE than a preacher’s wife.



But by grace I have, so far, avoided becoming jaded. Not because I am holy, but rather because I have come to the conclusion that it isn’t fun. And I’m too old not to have fun. Little children naturally want to have fun. So I feel it is high time I indulge in some holy regression.


You can’t know how fun it is to wait in agony of expectation for the next breath of God. It is like Christmas Eve, all the time. You can’t know how fun it is to imagine that, any day now, the next Billy Graham just might come to salvation….in my church. You can’t know how fun it is to be convinced that each person in my church family is destined, in Christ, to become a dazzling display of splendor – when you see Him, you will be LIKE Him. I can’t wait to see what you’ll look like. “It doth not yet appear what we shall be…” but my confident expectation on your behalf makes me exceedingly glad.



You can’t know how fun it is to actually believe that the next group of young people who gather to pray can spark a historic revival – just like that Welsh Revival, the name of which has long been capitalized in church history books, because it is considered as noteworthy, as much a history altering event as The Great Depression.



Besides, I have the promise of God that, for every thousand disappointments, the ONE promise of God is worth waiting and hoping for. It is worth confidently expecting. I am told that those who wait on the Lord are never made ashamed. God has a tendency to embarrass the jaded do-nothings, by suddenly showing up for those whose lamps are lit with holy hope. I plan on delighting myself in an excess of wedding cake and Dr. Pepper, while the Pretentiously Calloused Ones scramble for oil and matches in the cold dark night. Scrambling for oil and a match….THAT, my friend, would be no fun.

If you are all grown up and having no fun, please don’t take it personally if I hope so hard, and enjoy God so much, I seem to act like a little child in front of you. I'm not reacting to you per se….I’m simply choosing a different method of coping with the wait for God. I’ve chosen to have fun hoping! If you let it bother you to the point of wishing you could choke me, you are very near to the Kingdom of God. You may get so weary tolerating me that you decide, “If you can’t beat them, JOIN THEM.”

Come be glad with me. Come and hope again. Let God heal your big ol’ pretentious callus. Come and play. It is the only way to live responsibly.