And some are even worse
I can be a blessing
And you know, I can be a curse
This is the real me
Am I the girl that you want me to be
This is the real me
With flaws and fears of intimacy
This is the real me
So now you see that I am far from perfect
I will fall and I will make mistakes
But I am here and this has taken courage
Will you abandon me or will you stay.
--Jaci Velasquez
What a great song to depict the fears we all have inside us. Will you still like me if you really know who I am? I’m desperately afraid we, the church, have been ineffective at creating a safe place to let people be real. Whether trapped by pride or by fear, we march into the building with our own religious masks firmly in place – entering hurting, afraid and alone and an hour later leaving in the exact same shape. Where is the blessing in that? I am convinced that so many of the grave problems that face us today would be drastically reduced if we were brave enough to remove those masks. Marriages would be healed if you knew that you weren’t the only couple in the church who woke up one morning and wondered what on earth had ever possessed you to marry?!? Fear breeds isolation and isolation brings spiritual death, which is exactly what the enemy wants People are hungering for the connection – they just need someone brave enough to lower their masks first. Let me challenge you to have the courage and the faith to be that person. Sin thrives on secrecy and shame – and every time we give into those feelings we are allowing Satan to have a stronghold in our lives and the lives of the family of God. I have discovered that when I trust the Lord enough to remove my mask, people all around me race to get theirs off next. This world is hard and we need the strength gained by really knowing each other. The first step is believing God loves us. Not just mental assent, but the deep down emotional connection – God loves ME! When I begin to trust that fully, I can trust you with who I am…and you can trust me…and together we build a safe place for those who are seeking Jesus.
“There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear” 1 John 4:18
1 comment:
In the past when my mask has come off at church, I have been made to feel like a leper, probably one of those "EGR" people.
Glad you have a church where you can be real. I miss that.
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