The Elephant In The Room Isn't Wearing Lipstick

Earlier in the week, Barack Obama used a common American Idiom to describe the policies of his opponents, which he feels are out of date. He stated, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig."

Since the crowd was filled with Obama supporters, they responded with wild laughter. The crowd made a connection with this statement and Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin's comment "You know the difference between a Hockey Mom and a Pit Bull? Lipstick!"

Obama has denied that he was making a connection to Palin's "Lipstick" comment, but, for me, that's a little hard to believe. However, I have been pondering another idiom that addresses a major problem in today's church and society in general.

The statement "There's an elephant in the room" is commonly used to describe the presence of a known reality that most people are denying. At times, "elephants" are in our families, work places and churches. Felix Dennis has a poem in which he speaks from the perspective of a little girl who says "Dear elephant in the room that isn't there, Mummy says it's not polite to stare."

In I Corinthians 5:1-8, Paul exposed a "elephant" in the church at Corinth. He states, "There is sexual immorality among you." A member of the church was actually engaging in an inappropriate relationship with his Father's mother--his stepmother. Paul was upset that the church was "puffed up" or proud of the fact that they were practicing tolerance in this situation. These early believers had decided to not address this known sin. Thus, they were condoning and helping their wayward brother continue in blatant sin. Also, since Paul did not mention that the lady was a member of the congregation, the "stepmother" was probably not a believer. Now, that's a great evangelism plan.

Sexual immorality is a huge elephant in society today. Adulterous affairs and premarital sex are accepted by many as normal and unavoidable realities of fast paced lives. Teenage pregnancies, conceived outside the confines of Biblical marriages, do not seem to hold any carry stigma or shame for many people. Unfortunately, the reason many in the church do not voice any concern regarding these issuses is that loose morals are practiced by many in the church.

So, if we are not careful, when we gather to worship, many people have a difficult time worshipping "in Spirit and truth" due to a huge "elephant" sitting in the pew beside them.

Any sin can become a huge "unspoken" that we dance around and deny through plastic smiles. However, if a church is to grow, followers of Christ must seek forgiveness for their disobedience.

May we be a doer, and not just a hearer, of the scripture that reminds us "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9)."

So, don't let the elephant stay. And, whatever you do, don't put lipstick on him!