What Lies Beneath...

This is a hard subject to talk on, but one that I feel strongly led to write about. I sat down to write what was on my heart yesterday, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Sometimes, it can be very hard to find where to start, and it’s easier just to pack away what is on my heart than to pour it out.

I’m about to say something brutally honest. So before you get offended, please hear me out.

Are you ready? Have you braced yourself?

Okay, here goes… None of us, and I mean NONE of us, are perfect. Not a single one of the humans on this earth are without flaw; not you, and certainly not me. Did you fall in the floor from the shock of what I said? Most likely you were not shocked at all because, let’s face it; we all know that we are a very long way from perfection. We don’t lie when we look in the mirror and say to ourselves, “Hey, you! You in the mirror…you are absolutely perfect!” Okay, so maybe there are some narcissistic people that might say that…

The truth is that we all have issues, have all made mistakes, and are all a work in progress. We had a pastor visit our church a couple of weeks ago that talked about how we are all under construction. When I went to kids’ camp as a child, our theme one summer was “Kids Under Construction.” This is the truth of who we are as followers of Christ; we are continually being molded and shaped into the image of our Father. We seek daily to become like the One who saved us and gave His all for us.

Why then, do we feel the need to wear a mask and be fake as we go about our day? Why then, do we feel the need to hide behind a façade? The meaning of façade is this: “The image that a person presents to others.” A façade is not who we truly are, but how we wish to appear. I’m not saying that if we are having a bad day, or someone hurts our feelings, that we should go around falling in the floor crying about it, but why do we feel the need to wear the mask that says (untruthfully), “I have it all together?” It seems that this is especially true in the Church. Our youth pastor’s wife made a comment this past week that the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it” is not something that will work with God. He sees through to the core of who we are. We can fake all we want to, but He doesn’t see the mask we wear. He sees what lies beneath it.

I put up a post on social media this week about needing a safe place, a place where we can be real. But sometimes we don’t have a safe place. Sometimes we don’t feel that there is anyone we can talk to about what we are struggling with, what we are discouraged about, what or who has hurt us, or how we may have messed up. I have a friend that always says, “Loose lips sink ships,” and another friend posted a meme today that said, “Be careful who you vent to. A listening ear is also a running mouth.” This is why we have such a hard time finding that safe place…we feel that we just can’t know for sure once we have taken our mask off that the person who sees what lies beneath that mask won’t run and tell everyone else how flawed we are. We have a hard time with trust. It’s often said that “ministry is a very lonely place,” and this is one of the reasons why…we so often pour out what God has put inside of us for others, but then feel that there is no one we can trust there for us when we need them.

We, as Christians, as followers of Christ, should be completely trustworthy. When someone bares their darkest parts, areas in which they need prayer, or just needs to talk things out privately, we have to prove ourselves worthy of that trust. The only One we should share with is the Lord as we lift them up to Him in prayer. We each need a safe place, so we should always treat others as we wish to be treated in matters of privacy.

There are times and seasons, however, where we may no longer have a safe place, or may not have found that place yet, and what we have to understand is that GOD is always that safe place. He is our shelter. He loves us more than anyone has ever loved us, and He only wants the very best for us as we seek His face and follow after His heart. We have not attained perfection, but we strive for it daily in Him. Each day, we should be doing our very best to live pure and holy lives as we walk with the Lord.

I heard a song this week by a group called Skillet that really pulls the mask off in a very real and truthful way. It’s called “Monster,” and talks about how we so often hide what is inside because we don’t want people to know who we really are when no one else is around. If you don’t like this band or the music, just please give credence to the message they present as they reach young people for Christ.

“The secret side of me I never let you see,

I keep it caged, but I can’t control it

So stay away from me, the beast is ugly

I feel the rage and I just can’t hold it

It’s scratching on the walls, in the closet, in the halls

It comes awake and I can’t control it

Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head

Why won’t somebody come and save me from this? Make it end

I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin

I must confess that I feel like a monster

I hate what I’ve become, the nightmare’s just begun

I must confess that I feel like a monster.”

 

I know that this has been a long post, but it is vitally important. What is hidden must be dealt with. If you have a dish of old food on the kitchen counter, you can spray air freshener all you want to, but all it will do is mask the smell. Eventually, the rotten, moldy food must be uncovered, thrown in the trash and taken out! We can continue to wear our masks day in and day out, and the people we come in contact with may never know the difference; but God sees through to our heart. He always knows the truth, and He loves us enough to not want us to stay in that shape anymore. Masking what is inside can lead to depression, anxiety, fear, hopelessness and despair. Uncovering the deep wounds and allowing them to be healed will bring restoration and peace, forgiveness and hope. It’s time stop covering up what lies beneath, and allow our Savior to shine His light into those dark places. It’s time to find our safe place in Him, throw our masks aside, and allow Him to shape us into His glorious image.