--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We Christians don’t get to send our lives…" description: "\"“We Christians don’t get to send our lives through the rinse cycle before showing up to church. We come as we are—no hiding, no acting, no fear. We com..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/rachel-held-evans-2876_christianity_we-christians-don-t-get-to-send-our-live_2879076.png" --- # We Christians don’t get to send our lives through the… ![“We Christians don’t get to send our lives through the rinse cycle before showing up to church. We come as we are—no hiding, no acting, no fear. We come with our materialism, our pride, our petty grievances against our neighbors, our hypocritical disdain for those judgmental people in the church…” quote by Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/rachel-held-evans-2876_christianity_we-christians-don-t-get-to-send-our-live_2879076.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/rachel-held-evans-2876_christianity_we-christians-don-t-get-to-send-our-live_2879076.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/rachel-held-evans-2876_christianity_we-christians-don-t-get-to-send-our-live_2879076.png) > ““We Christians don’t get to send our lives through the rinse cycle before showing up to church. We come as we are—no hiding, no acting, no fear. We come with our materialism, our pride, our petty grievances against our neighbors, our hypocritical disdain for those judgmental people in the church next door. We come with our fear of death, our desperation to be loved, our troubled marriages, our persistent doubts, our preoccupation with status and image. We come with our addictions—to substances, to work, to affirmation, to control, to food. We come with our differences, be they political, theological, racial, or socioeconomic. We come in search of sanctuary, a safe place to shed the masks and exhale. We come to air our dirty laundry before God and everybody because when we do it together we don’t have to be afraid.”” [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Churches should accept imperfect, diverse believers seeking honest community. **In simple terms:** Come as you are, no masks. Key Takeaway Foster authentic, inclusive worship. Themes faith community authenticity Mood hopeful introspective Type spiritual motivational When to use this quote - worship services - small groups - counseling Key Concepts vulnerability spiritual honesty Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders model vulnerability? - What practices nurture safe confession? A Different Perspective Fear of judgment may persist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Christians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christians/) [Dirty laundry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirty-laundry/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear of death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-of-death/) [Judgmental people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgmental-people/) [Safe place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-place/) ## Related quotes > [“It's not how you go into church,but it's how you come out that will make a difference in your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-seei/it-s-not-how-you-go-into-church-but-it-s-how-you-come-out-that-will/) Jay Seei > [We pray when it's best. If you truly love god waiting for church to come every week. God's love will be there for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/we-pray-when-it-s-best-if-you-truly-love-god-waiting-for-church-to/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [Church - Come here to learn, go forth to serve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/church-come-here-to-learn-go-forth-to-serve/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [“In particular, husbands and wives who do poorly at nonverbal communication tend to be dissatisfied with their marriages. Moreover, when such problems occur, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowland-miller/in-particular-husbands-and-wives-who-do-poorly-at-nonverbal/) Rowland Miller > [“Marriage problems are relationship problems, they are the result of how two people interact with each other. You may abandon a troubled marriage, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gungor/marriage-problems-are-relationship-problems-they-are-the-result-of/) [Mark Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-gungor/) > [“It is a neglected but essential fact that we cannot appreciate the relationship between religion and violence unless we grasp the nature and meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-david-eller/it-is-a-neglected-but-essential-fact-that-we-cannot-appreciate-the/) Jack David Eller > [It is difficult for me to understand the tragic accounts of troubled marriages that come to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/it-is-difficult-for-me-to-understand-the-tragic-accounts-of-troubled/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [A troubled marriage can be as hazardous to physical health as cigarette smoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-waldinger/a-troubled-marriage-can-be-as-hazardous-to-physical-health-as/) [Robert J. Waldinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-waldinger/) > [“Women in troubled marriages frequently try to work out their problems through their children. Whether a woman does this through the extremes of overwhelming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-forward/women-in-troubled-marriages-frequently-try-to-work-out-their-problems/) [Susan Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-forward/) > [Fear may come true that which one is afraid of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/fear-may-come-true-that-which-one-is-afraid-of/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“Fear, they had come to realize, not machines, is the most powerful weapon there is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laekan-zea-kemp/fear-they-had-come-to-realize-not-machines-is-the-most-powerful/) [Laekan Zea Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laekan-zea-kemp/) > [It is fear that makes you believe that you are living and that you will be dead.What we do not want is the fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/u-g-krishnamurti/it-is-fear-that-makes-you-believe-that-you-are-living-and-that-you/) [U.G. Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/u-g-krishnamurti/) > [“They come. Sooner than I'd thought, more than I'd even begun to fear. They come looking for death. And Death is psyched to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/they-come-sooner-than-i-d-thought-more-than-i-d-even-begun-to-fear/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [In my films quite often, paranoia usually leads to the truth so it is kind of a psychological state of mind to think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fessenden/in-my-films-quite-often-paranoia-usually-leads-to-the-truth-so-it-is/) [Larry Fessenden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fessenden/) > [You have to keep the promise that you have made! Even if the world stops you. You have to come! My longing, fearful eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/you-have-to-keep-the-promise-that-you-have-made-even-if-the-world/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) ## More by Rachel Held Evans > [“So what did God say to me in the silence that morning? I’m not sure, but I think God said something like, Don’t try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/so-what-did-god-say-to-me-in-the-silence-that-morning-i-m-not-sure/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“Some rabbis say that, at birth, we are each tied to God with a string, and that every time we sin, the string breaks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/some-rabbis-say-that-at-birth-we-are-each-tied-to-god-with-a-string/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [One of the most destructive mistakes we Christians make is to prioritize shared beliefs over shared relationship, which is deeply ironic considering we worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/one-of-the-most-destructive-mistakes-we-christians-make-is-to/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“My robust lexicon notwithstanding, I struggle to find the right words to describe just how much I despise, hate, abhor, revile, detest and categorically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/my-robust-lexicon-notwithstanding-i-struggle-to-find-the-right-words/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [This is what God's kingdom is like: a bunch of outcasts and oddballs gathered at a table, not because they are rich or worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/this-is-what-god-s-kingdom-is-like-a-bunch-of-outcasts-and-oddballs/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“I don’t know for sure, but I think maybe God was trying to tell me that gentleness begins with strength, quietness with security. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-don-t-know-for-sure-but-i-think-maybe-god-was-trying-to-tell-me/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Whenever we show others the goodness of God, whenever we follow our Teacher by imitating His posture of humble and ready service, our actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/whenever-we-show-others-the-goodness-of-god-whenever-we-follow-our/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Faith isn't about having everything figured out ahead of time; faith is about following the quiet voice of God without having everything figured out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/faith-isn-t-about-having-everything-figured-out-ahead-of-time-faith/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Christianity isn't meant to simply be believed; it's meant to be lived, shared, eaten, spoken, and enacted in the presence of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/christianity-isn-t-meant-to-simply-be-believed-it-s-meant-to-be-lived/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“In the years preceding the Civil War in America, Christian ministers wrote nearly half of all defenses of slavery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/in-the-years-preceding-the-civil-war-in-america-christian-ministers/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“Cynicism may seem a mild transgression, but it is a patient predator that suffocates hope, slowly, over many years,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/cynicism-may-seem-a-mild-transgression-but-it-is-a-patient-predator/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“I suppose that the moral of this story is that trying to copy another woman, even a woman from the Bible, is almost always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-suppose-that-the-moral-of-this-story-is-that-trying-to-copy-another/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“I played my role as the good Christian girl and spared everyone the drama of an argument. But that decision to remain silent split…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-played-my-role-as-the-good-christian-girl-and-spared-everyone-the/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“Madeleine L’Engle said, “the great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.” 58 I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/madeleine-l-engle-said-the-great-thing-about-getting-older-is-that/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) [Explore all 147 Rachel Held Evans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) ## More Christianity quotes > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“some of my good Baptist brethren in Georgia had done a little preaching from the pulpit against the KKK, I would have a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-moss/some-of-my-good-baptist-brethren-in-georgia-had-done-a-little/) [Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/) > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“every church can treat each discipleship class and each worship service as an opportunity for continual rehearsal of what the words, stories, symbols, rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/every-church-can-treat-each-discipleship-class-and-each-worship/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/) [David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/) > [The notion of a non-religious Christmas is ridiculous. But so is the insistence on the part of Christians that politicians and retailers carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/the-notion-of-a-non-religious-christmas-is-ridiculous-but-so-is-the/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [A real Christian in an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-real-christian-in-an-odd-number-anyway-he-feels-supreme-love-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. 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Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) [Browse all 14,385 Christianity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We Christians don’t get to send our lives through the rinse cycle before showing up to church. We come as we are—no hiding, no acting, no fear. We come with our materialism, our pride, our petty grievances against our neighbors, our hypocritical disdain for those judgmental people in the church next door. We come with our fear of death, our desperation to be loved, our troubled marriages, our persistent doubts, our preoccupation with status and image. We come with our addictions—to substances, to work, to affirmation, to control, to food. 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