The Sermon and The Lunch

There are many things the Christian community does not like to talk about. I attended Christian school all of my life, and I know that no one struggles with lust or sex. No one has even been exposed to alcohol. Sometimes, as Christians, we feel bogged down. We may not feel motivated to do our jobs or complete our schoolwork effectively, but this is the only thing we struggle with. Only bad kids drink. If someone thinks about having sex outside of marriage they surely do not know Jesus. These stigmas in the church are a hindrance to the community. Life is not that easy. To want to follow Jesus means to struggle. We're human even though we like to deny it.
C.S. Lewis alludes to the practice of oversimplifying life in "The Sermon and The Lunch." A preacher speaks about how character is built in the home. Lewis recalls his last dinner with the preacher's family. They argued and interrupted each other. The father spoke foolishly, the mother was hysterical. This is where character is built. Often times, family life is seen in a romantic sense. Familial struggle don't exist for Christians.
Struggles-familial, sexual, emotional- don't happen to good Christians. Because of this supposed fact, many struggle alone. They do not seek encouragement from their fellow believers. Instead of being real with each other, instead of standing in solidarity with each other, instead of being honest- too often believers try to patch up problems themselves. They put on their best face and hope no one sees their lives falling apart, lest they be shunned. This hypocrisy is something we need to fight against. After all, Jesus hung out with the tax collectors, prostitutes, and the diseased. He called the Pharisees "whitewashed tombs." What are we really? What do we pretend to be?