Come On Get Happy and the Stained Glass Masquerade

A few moments ago, I noticed that one of the top five "searches" on Yahoo was for "David Cassidy."

David Cassidy was a member of the Partridge Family, who had an immesnsely popular show. As a child of the 70's, I spent many nights watching The Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family. The only song I remember the "Family" sang was "Come On Get Happy."

As I was thinking about that song, I realized I have an aversion to someone saying to me, "Come on be happy."

This isn't a vent againt The Partridge Family, but a quick way for someone to "turn me 'off'" is to tell me "be happy." People don't know what is going on inside of us. So, for me, I do not want to ever presume someone has the capacity to be "cheerful," when their world is crumbling down around them.

Now, I know, as a Christian, we have a bright future, but forcing a smile is superficial. One of my pet peeves is when a worship leader says, "Come on everybody, smile." In worship, we are confronted with a Holy God, which reveals our unholiness. If I'm under conviction, the last thing I need to do is to fake a "I've-got-it-all-together" pose. Casting Crowns calls this the "Stained Glass Masquerade." Read the lyrics here. Watch a Stained Glass Masquerade Video here.

Let's be real in church and on the street.

Not sure how I moved from the Partridge Family to being real, but I did. What do you think?