Hi, how are you?
Me? I’m GREAT! My whole world is fantastic. I am blessed and highly favored. Blah, blah, blah.
Do you ever just wish you could talk to someone honestly about real life things going on in your life? Those of us who profess to follow Christ are supposed to be doing well all the time. Only, HELLO?!!, life happens and even the bible says trials come, so no one promised you perfection.
I believe there is a blessing in honesty that you can’t get behind your feathery, sequined masquerade mask. There is perspective and sometimes there is healing, in opening up to your true self. What scares us about being honest with each other? Well first, there is the judgment. “She’s supposed to be saved and she can’t even get her kids to do their chores.” Uh, yeah, I can’t always. Guess what? God can’t get his kids to do their chores either, so I think I am in good company. When women come to me with their problems often they say something self-effacing, which really saddens me. It’s really sad that we can’t be human with each other. When someone reaches out for help, rather than help, we rejoice that we are not having that same issue in our life therefore, we must be better. We aren’t. We are different but equal.
Second, there is the trustworthy issue. We can’t confide because then, WOOHOOO! LET THE GOSSIPING BEGIN. Because we are so content to be busybodies, we love to have someone to talk about. We judge and gossip, so then we wouldn’t dare tell anyone our problems because we know exactly what they are going to do with information. Exactly what we do. Tell everyone. This has to stop. We have to learn to be confidants to those in our lives. And don’t hide your gossipy self with cryptic gossip either. I remember once this person came to me and said, “Pastor Susan, don’t worry about me. You can feel free to tell me anything. I know lots of stuff about the women here and I haven’t said anything.” When someone says something like this to you RUN! These people love the power of knowing something. While we are here on this subject, Holy Gossip is still gossip. “I want us to pray for Sister Agnes. Her husband is having an affair and we just need to lift her up in prayer.” I hate holy gossip. We have to be trustworthy. Period.
We can’t take our own mask off because then the bloodbath begins. The minute some smell trouble, they run to get a piece of that person. You know, sometimes I wonder if human beings are really as elevated as they proclaim to be? Can we show a little compassion and maybe some love?
Taking off your mask is a big risk but being authentic is what we are called to be. Yet, we all need a place to be authentic and be able to have a soft place to fall. Many people don’t have that. I love that I have friends with whom I can just be honest. I love the fact that I also work hard to be that friend. We need to love one another enough to be honest and then be woman enough to take that honesty without offense and keep that confidence between us.
Decide today that you are going to be a person of value and worth. That means that when someone comes to you they are able to take their mask off for a while and be themselves. In a world that demands you to have it all together be a place of soft landing. Find that person with whom you can take your mask off. Trust me when I tell you that your life will be richer and you will feel better about yourself. I can’t imagine feeling good about faking it. I can’t imagine wearing the mask all the time. I don’t know about you, but I desire a deeper relationship with my friends and loved ones, rather than one in which it’s all a masquerade.
Pastor Susan 