Embarrassing Moments: God's Covering Grace

03/04/10

Author: Julie Barrier

What was my most embarrassing moment? Combine my brash disregard for tradition, my total lack of tact and my predilection for clumsiness and the possibilities are endless. The longer I live, the longer the list. Where do I begin? Pastors, PW’s (pastor’s wives) and PK’s (preacher’s kids) have the dubious distinction of screwing up in front of hundreds (or thousands) of people on a regular basis. No small slip-ups for us! The prospect of public humiliation looms ahead for any Christian leader. Peter, the apostle was not alone in his uncanny ability to say and do the wrong thing at the wrong time on a daily basis. The fact that Jesus patiently came alongside Peter and gave him grace instead of condemnation is a great encouragement to me. I still marvel that after he denied Christ, Jesus restored the crusty fisherman and prepared Him to spearhead the Christian church.

Like Peter, I needed a lot of grace. My embarrassing moments were endless. I taught an entire marriage conference session with my fly down (and was wearing stripey Fruit-of-the Looms). Fortunately, we were in Greece, so they thought my wardrobe malfunction was a new American fad. I visited the little girl’s room during a youth choir rehearsal break and forgot to turn my wireless microphone off. I wailed away on my B-3 rock organ for three services with my shirt inside out and nobody even told me. I guess I wouldn’t have minded so much but the tag had XL in enormous letters for all the world to see. One sweltering June afternoon, our church rock band was playing a water park in L.A. when the wave machine dumped two gallons of water on my leopard print leggings. They became transparent! I hit the ground, crawled behind the drummer to find a nearby beach towel. I still cringe! On a sweltering July afternoon, I was supposed to conduct a city-wide patriotic event in a ballpark with an orchestra the size of Nebraska. The blistering heat caused the shellac to peel off the $15,000 cellos. As I stood on the towering podium, I realized that the short skort I chose to stay cool was a really bad wardrobe choice for this somber event. But the show had to go on. Forty-five minutes later, I slinked away to hide in the dugout. Yep, my bloopers were biggies. Oh, yes. I almost forgot. Our church orchestra had joined forces with David Jeremiah’s church players on a Sunday morning. The service was on national television, and the cameraman closed in on the run in my stockings the size of a railroad track. I should have stayed home. Now, don’t you feel better about yourself? I’m just getting warmed up.

I sold my best friend’s hand-made Christmas present at a yard sale for fifty cents. Yep. And she was sitting right next to me. I forgot I had received it from her. It wasn’t pretty. I gave a lovely wooden salt and pepper shaker to our head deacon’s wife for Christmas. She opened it, glared back at me and reminded me that she had given it to me last Christmas. Bad for business. I confided to a young pastor that the marriage manual we were required to use for our conferences was really, really lame. He let me know that his father-in-law had written it. Oops. I probably shouldn’t have called the Women’s Missionary Union ladies “biddies.” Awkward. The worst was the day I hugged a friend and told her how sorry I was that her husband was having an affair. He hadn’t told her yet. The list goes on. And on. And on.

We were sitting around a picnic table with our church leaders on a balmy Sunday afternoon. As I passed the potato salad, I heard my pastor-husband say something stupid. Instead of re-directing the conversation and showing my husband some respect, I whipped my head around and quoted Proverbs: "Even fools are thought to be wise...when they keep their mouths shut." Proverbs 17:28 NLT

A hush fell over the table. Gasp. I not only humiliated myself, but the man I loved as well. I still regret those words. God has forgiven me and so has Roger, but I am sure I will once again put my large foot into my even larger mouth.

As I recall these and a bazillion other misspeaks and missteps, I am no longer surprised by my feet of clay. I know that God loves me in my broken state, and I trust that He will patiently continue to conform me into His image. But for those of you who relish watching the stupidity of humankind on YouTube or “America’s Funniest Videos,” cut your pastor-families some slack. Cover them with grace. They need your love, understanding and forgiveness. Remember, you’ve walked in their shoes.  

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8 NIV