What Will They Think of Me?

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 15:5-7

For so long, I wanted everyone to think I had it together. I wanted people to think I was perfect, therefore, I presented myself each day as if life was flawless. It was this longing to be loved, to be liked and accepted and it was exhausting. Inside, I was so desperate, I was miserable and continued to seek satisfaction in so many other ways because I was too scared to bare my soul and admit I was struggling.

Maybe you are sitting in this very space right now.  Maybe you are sitting in sorrow, wrestling in despair, or craving contentment with gaping holes in your heart while holding on to the ‘perfect patty’ exterior. Oh, dear sister right now I just beg you to stop living in a smokescreen of falsehood. Stop holding it together just because you are worried about how the crumbling pieces will look. These charades only lead to ruin because it is in these spaces that the enemy sees his open invitation.  The devil will RSVP that he is coming and I promise you he will be slick and sly and fast.

While we appear to have it all together, our insides can become so wretched and worn from a soul slowly succumbing to the bellows of the evil one. We will cling to anything that makes us feel good and his tricks can do just that. But, only for a fleeting moment. It is as though he sits at his vessel of fire, stirring the flames and igniting the blazes of destruction in our lives. We become so ensnared in his grip that the cries of our desperate hearts are drowned out by his vile tactics, often disguised in pretty little packages. So, as long as the affirmations roll in and our perfect patty façade remains, Satan’s sly moves of wreckage get stronger and stronger. A cycle we are constantly managing, never knowing when the pieces we are juggling to maintain appearances will slowly start to drop and life will begin to crash one shattered piece at a time. The evil one just keeps watching and stirring, savoring the glories of his bedlam.

Stop.

We must stop fighting our own battles. We must cancel all appearances of having it all together. We’ve got to stop seeking the approval of others, worried if they could see inside, they’d never speak to us again. Seek the community of Jesus-loving friends that will sit in that space with you where you can let go of the façade and let in the Truth. Jesus doesn’t want us all put together, faking it until we make it, and neither do our true friends. True friends do exist, I promise.  You might have just chuckled at that statement because the people that have hurt you the most have been Christians. I get it, I have been there and I am so sorry. However, don’t hold yourself there and always remember that people are human and mess up. Most importantly, know that there are people out there who have truly experienced Jesus and are ready to jump on the journey with you and stay the course. 

Abide.

Abide in Jesus and lay all the junk at His feet. Bring our burdens, our messes, the disarray of life to Him and let Him enter in and restore our heart’s home. He is the Almighty. He is with us. He is our fortress.

Freedom.

Oh, the freedom when we let go of it all and let Him in. He commands us in His Word to come to Him.  Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” He wants us to rest in Him.  He longs for us to come to Him, bruised and broken, letting Him in to be the balm to our weary souls.

When we do this, the enemy can scurry right on back to his place in the pit of hell without us. Don’t let the enemy get a foothold in your façade. That foothold lends itself to a stronghold that will never ever bring satisfaction to our souls. It is so much better to bear our brokenness so we can relish in His redemption. 

Practice Because We’re Imperfect

 1) Dive into Lisa Harper’s new Bible study, “How Much More!”

 2) Journal your heart cries to the Lord.