White carpets. Quiet shame. What if faith isn’t about looking perfect…but being seen in the mess?
A message for anyone tired of pretending
- Church Band played full Radiohead song.
“Her green plastic watering can / For her fake Chinese rubber plant / In the fake plastic earth…”
— Radiohead
Have you ever been in a house with a room you weren’t allowed in?
Technically, you’re in the house… but there’s this one room — white carpet, plastic-covered furniture, maybe even a gold lamp shaped like a swan. Untouchable. Impossibly perfect. Completely lifeless.
We didn’t have one of those in my house growing up — but down the street, at Michael Gitman’s place, they sure did.
Gitman’s house had it all. A swimming pool. A trampoline. A Commodore 64. Even a cool-looking sister. But it also had that room. The biggest, nicest room in the house… and no one was allowed in.
It looked like a living room, but nobody lived there.
The furniture was wrapped in so much plastic you could use it as a life raft.
It was the “fake plastic room.”
🛋️ The Fake Plastic Room… of Faith?Some of us build our spiritual lives like that room.
We curate a space for God — a spiritual showroom.
Clean. Tidy. Instagram-ready.
But if we’re honest, it’s lifeless.
We let God into the “plastic room” long enough for Him to say, “Looks great in here!” — while hiding the rest of the house:
But here’s the thing:
That plastic spirituality?
It wears us out.
As Radiohead sings,
“It wears her out.”
“It wears him out.”
“It wears me out.”
Performing a kind of faith that’s more plastic than real leaves us hollow.
🧍♂️ Jesus’ Parable: The Plastic Pharisee vs. The Honest MessJesus tells a story in Luke 18:9–14.
Two people show up to pray:
One is a Pharisee — the spiritual superstar.
Tidy, confident, admired. The kind of person whose Bible is colour-coded, prayer life is Insta-ready, probably has a tattoo that says blessed.
He grabs the mic during worship and prays:
“God, thank you that I’m not like other people… robbers, evildoers, adulterers… or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
Translation:
“God, you’re lucky to have me.”
But at the back of the room stands the tax collector — the cultural outcast. The corrupt businessman. The shady figure with a hoodie and a vape pen, eyes on the floor, barely hanging on.
And all he says is:
“God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
That’s it. No speeches. No performance.
Just honesty.
And Jesus says:
“This man — not the other — went home justified before God.”
💡 So What Do We Do?Let’s get practical.
1. Stop managing your image. Start showing up honestly.God’s not impressed with our spiritual résumé.
He’s moved by authenticity.
Psalm 51:17 — “The sacrifice God desires is a broken spirit.
God will not reject a broken and repentant heart.”
Try starting your prayers this week with:
“God, here’s where I’m really at…”
No filters. No edits. Just you.
2. Create a community where people can drop the act.We don't need more curated faith.
We need churches that reward vulnerability, not performance.
Let’s be the kind of people who ask real questions and make space for others to be real too.
James 5:16 — “Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
This isn’t a weird confessional booth thing.
It’s just friendship that’s honest enough to bring healing.
3. Lead with transparency.If you want deeper conversations, go first.
🎤 Final Thought:There’s a world of difference between performing faith and practicing faith.
Just like there’s a difference between a show home and a real home.
The Pharisee performed it.
The tax collector practiced it.
And Jesus said, that guy — the honest one — walked away right with God.
So maybe today, God’s not asking you to fix everything.
He’s just asking you to stop faking it.
- Church Band played full Radiohead song.
“Her green plastic watering can / For her fake Chinese rubber plant / In the fake plastic earth…”
— Radiohead
Have you ever been in a house with a room you weren’t allowed in?
Technically, you’re in the house… but there’s this one room — white carpet, plastic-covered furniture, maybe even a gold lamp shaped like a swan. Untouchable. Impossibly perfect. Completely lifeless.
We didn’t have one of those in my house growing up — but down the street, at Michael Gitman’s place, they sure did.
Gitman’s house had it all. A swimming pool. A trampoline. A Commodore 64. Even a cool-looking sister. But it also had that room. The biggest, nicest room in the house… and no one was allowed in.
It looked like a living room, but nobody lived there.
The furniture was wrapped in so much plastic you could use it as a life raft.
It was the “fake plastic room.”
🛋️ The Fake Plastic Room… of Faith?Some of us build our spiritual lives like that room.
We curate a space for God — a spiritual showroom.
Clean. Tidy. Instagram-ready.
But if we’re honest, it’s lifeless.
We let God into the “plastic room” long enough for Him to say, “Looks great in here!” — while hiding the rest of the house:
- The room marked Bitterness
- The one labeled Regret
- Upstairs: Fear, Shame, Loneliness, Doubt
But here’s the thing:
That plastic spirituality?
It wears us out.
As Radiohead sings,
“It wears her out.”
“It wears him out.”
“It wears me out.”
Performing a kind of faith that’s more plastic than real leaves us hollow.
🧍♂️ Jesus’ Parable: The Plastic Pharisee vs. The Honest MessJesus tells a story in Luke 18:9–14.
Two people show up to pray:
One is a Pharisee — the spiritual superstar.
Tidy, confident, admired. The kind of person whose Bible is colour-coded, prayer life is Insta-ready, probably has a tattoo that says blessed.
He grabs the mic during worship and prays:
“God, thank you that I’m not like other people… robbers, evildoers, adulterers… or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
Translation:
“God, you’re lucky to have me.”
But at the back of the room stands the tax collector — the cultural outcast. The corrupt businessman. The shady figure with a hoodie and a vape pen, eyes on the floor, barely hanging on.
And all he says is:
“God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
That’s it. No speeches. No performance.
Just honesty.
And Jesus says:
“This man — not the other — went home justified before God.”
💡 So What Do We Do?Let’s get practical.
1. Stop managing your image. Start showing up honestly.God’s not impressed with our spiritual résumé.
He’s moved by authenticity.
Psalm 51:17 — “The sacrifice God desires is a broken spirit.
God will not reject a broken and repentant heart.”
Try starting your prayers this week with:
“God, here’s where I’m really at…”
No filters. No edits. Just you.
2. Create a community where people can drop the act.We don't need more curated faith.
We need churches that reward vulnerability, not performance.
Let’s be the kind of people who ask real questions and make space for others to be real too.
James 5:16 — “Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
This isn’t a weird confessional booth thing.
It’s just friendship that’s honest enough to bring healing.
3. Lead with transparency.If you want deeper conversations, go first.
- Share your own struggles.
- Be honest about your doubts and fears.
- Respond to others’ mess with grace, not judgment.
🎤 Final Thought:There’s a world of difference between performing faith and practicing faith.
Just like there’s a difference between a show home and a real home.
The Pharisee performed it.
The tax collector practiced it.
And Jesus said, that guy — the honest one — walked away right with God.
So maybe today, God’s not asking you to fix everything.
He’s just asking you to stop faking it.