We can’t afford for us to see each other’s lives as a George Müller biography where only great faith gets highlighted. We need to see the brokenness and contrition too. Our churches need to be full of confession and repentance.

Have you read a really great biography? I love biographies, especially ones that highlight the life of some faithful Christian. John and Betty Stam, Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot, George Müller. These had a huge impact on my life, reminding me that the Lord could be trusted, no matter the outcome. If you’ve read a number of biographies, you’ll find one thing tends to happen pretty often. Sometimes the biographer tells the stories that are meant to highlight some great character quality in the subject, but the sins or shortcomings rarely get mentioned. I’m not knocking it, I’m just pointing out a fact. The problem is not with the biographer’s emphasis, but if we’re not careful, we can try to show others only our good side. We want others to see us like a George Müller biography.

When we do this, what we are really doing is showing people only half the story. Do we have moments of faithfulness? By God’s grace, absolutely! Do we trust God in ways that showcase His power and care? Yes! But is that all there is to us? If we walk around wanting others to only know the good stuff, we are leaving out some pretty important things.

Read More