When it's OK to not be OK This week there was a collective gasp around the world when a young woman stopped and said she wasn't OK. Simone Biles, considered by many to be the greatest gymnast of all time pulled herself out of competition because she was not OK. And the world gasped because, in all honesty, we just expect our athletes to power through, to push to the limit, to give it their all… The world gasped because someone had both the strength and the humility to say that they were not OK. So why would I choose to talk about this in our church newsletter? The world around us certainly tells us that it's NOT OK to not be OK. And somehow this message is filtered into the church. Because even in the church the temptation is to pretend that we're OK when we really aren't… to say that we are fine when we are truly hurting. Several years ago, I had a parishioner who showed up one Sunday morning after being gone for a few weeks. As we talked, they said “I just couldn't get my game face on these last two weeks.” I was truly saddened by their comment but not surprised. Because, as followers of Jesus, sometimes it's hard to admit that we’re not “OK.” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Mark 2:17 Ironically, the church is the one place where it should be OK to not be OK. Of course, the challenge here is it that requires vulnerability, honesty, and humility. The good news is that these are all necessary character traits for following Jesus. They allow us to be vulnerable and honest before God who by the power of Spirit comes to our aid. Over and over again, the scriptures remind us that God is rich in mercy and full of compassion. He binds up the broken hearted and gives comfort to the weary. And he calls his people to do likewise. Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows; Isaiah 53:4 In every parish I have served there have been people who struggled with depression, mental illness, addiction, shame, grief, anxiety, and the list goes on. The power of a loving Christian community is seen as it offers hope and support to those in the midst of such challenges. We weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn, we help bear one another’s burdens as Christ our Savior has borne ours. This is the Lord’s house,
home of all his people,
school for the faithful,
refuge for the sinner,
rest for the pilgrim,
haven for the weary;
all find a welcome. (1982 Hymnal p. 51 ) Blessings, Matthew+ | 
