I am sorry that blog night is a night late again. I have had two days off from school in a row, and honestly, I have been pretty lazy. I am sure that is something we can all relate to.
This week we are going to discuss covering up our struggles. I know I struggle with this a lot. I get into this position where I feel like I am not allowed to be sad, that if I show any emotion but joy I will drive people away. This is simply not true. That is not to say that we should be down and out all of the time, but we all have those days.
As Christians, we know we are supposed to show the love of Christ to the world around us. We think that means we have to be happy all of the time and always have our lives together. I will be the first to say my life does not look like that. Sometimes, I am so tired at school that I just do not feel like smiling as I walk down the halls. Sometimes, I worry about the health of a family member or friend. The point is that my surroundings have an effect on me, and I am allowed to express that. In fact, it may encourage others to see that I don't have it all figured out after all.
I am not called to paint this picture to the world that once you become a Christian, all hard times disappear. That is not how it works. We are actually promised that we will experience trials but when we do, the Lord will be with us. That is the picture we should paint to the world: not that we do not have problems but that we have a God who will be with us through it all. The way we encourage others is not by being fake but by being completely real, even if it is a little messy. When someone sees you walking through a storm, do not say, "I am fine." Instead say, "It is not easy, but I know God will bring me through it and use it for a purpose." That's faith.
Something else I notice in my own life is that when I'm not real with people, I am also not real with God. This in itself is ridiculous because He knows every detail of my life already. It is like I'm ashamed to feel a bit unhappy, like I should always be up on the mountain. I catch myself praying prayers that sound as though life is perfect and I am just doing great. Jesus is fully aware of when life is anything but perfect, and He wants you to bring that to Him. Hiding your struggles from God makes no sense because that is the opposite of what we are told to do. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus commands us to come to Him when we are weary and that He will give us rest.
It is not a requirement of Christianity to attempt to hide your imperfections from the world and from God. Take off the mask. The Lord is going to bring you out of the storm and use it for His glory if you allow Him to.
