Carefully Edited Sparkly World
We now have celebrity status. We can be followed, pinned, and liked. We can put our best image forward and make everyone love us. After all, we live in a carefully edited sparkly world*.
It is nothing new, really. Humanity has always strived to make themselves look good even though the underneath in an impossible mess. Women have been applying cosmetics for centuries to cover up their flaws. Men have been holding on to their expected image of stoic strength and control in spite of the raging emotions inside. Whole cultures have made it tradition to constantly wear psychological masks in public even though their private lives are full of perceived shame. And now we have social media that allows all our "friends" to see how happy we were on our last holiday to exotic somewhere, even though we had several not-so-happy arguments along the way. You see, our world desperately wants to believe, "I'm okay, you're okay, we are ALL okay."
But we are not. Just flip on the news and you will know we are so not okay. We are a mess. A mess that goes beyond the minute and insignificant annoyances of my daily life to global atrocities.
So why do we pretend all is well? Why do we hide behind our strengths so much so that we are afraid to even mention a weakness? Is it because we do believe we are better than the lady next door? Is it because we are so afraid of rejection that we only show our good to the world? Is it because we want to somehow make up for the crap we see and hear out there?
Our North American culture is generally a positive thinking, everyone-is-a-winner society. We cherish our formulas and our ten steps to freedom, joy, and prosperity. If you are feeling down, think yourself out of your funk. If you don't understand how to add, subtract, multiply or divide, don't worry! You'll pass Mathematics anyway.
We do not like to fail. Because when we fail, we feel insignificant. And when we feel insignificant, we feel unloved. And who likes to feel unloved?
Your Daddy and I are in a care group where we are studying Psalms. I am once again amazed at David's honesty. Take Psalm 13 for example:
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the Lord
because he is good to me.
Now imagine singing this song on Sunday morning. Imagine passionately expressing each sentence, each word as it was intended to be. How would the words impact your thoughts, your feelings?
Our church services, more often then not, focus on verse 5 & 6. "...I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me." But we omit the "But..."
The power in verse 5 & 6 lies in the fact that verses 1 - 4 exist. We feel God has forgotten us. Our soul is in anguish. Our enemies triumph over us. God feels distant. We have no joy. Death is sought. Failure is imminent.
Certainly not a carefully edited sparkly world.
A. & J., don't believe in the lie that you need to project the right image to be loved and accepted. God craves your honesty (He knows you anyway, so why hide from Him?). And it is when we are truly honest with Him we begin to see Him as He is: A God of unfailing love, who rescues, who is so good.
Also, don't believe you have to be perfect with the people around you, especially those who really do care for you. Be real. Let go of your attempts at cleaning up what you think is ugly. Surrender what you feel is unpresentable. Be vulnerable. Let God change what really matters! And if someone close to you gets offended in the process, extend grace, because they, just like you, are trying to figure the same stuff out.
*I owe this phrase to Shauna Niequist, a guest on MOPS "Beautiful Mess" Video series.
It is nothing new, really. Humanity has always strived to make themselves look good even though the underneath in an impossible mess. Women have been applying cosmetics for centuries to cover up their flaws. Men have been holding on to their expected image of stoic strength and control in spite of the raging emotions inside. Whole cultures have made it tradition to constantly wear psychological masks in public even though their private lives are full of perceived shame. And now we have social media that allows all our "friends" to see how happy we were on our last holiday to exotic somewhere, even though we had several not-so-happy arguments along the way. You see, our world desperately wants to believe, "I'm okay, you're okay, we are ALL okay."
But we are not. Just flip on the news and you will know we are so not okay. We are a mess. A mess that goes beyond the minute and insignificant annoyances of my daily life to global atrocities.
So why do we pretend all is well? Why do we hide behind our strengths so much so that we are afraid to even mention a weakness? Is it because we do believe we are better than the lady next door? Is it because we are so afraid of rejection that we only show our good to the world? Is it because we want to somehow make up for the crap we see and hear out there?
Our North American culture is generally a positive thinking, everyone-is-a-winner society. We cherish our formulas and our ten steps to freedom, joy, and prosperity. If you are feeling down, think yourself out of your funk. If you don't understand how to add, subtract, multiply or divide, don't worry! You'll pass Mathematics anyway.
We do not like to fail. Because when we fail, we feel insignificant. And when we feel insignificant, we feel unloved. And who likes to feel unloved?
Your Daddy and I are in a care group where we are studying Psalms. I am once again amazed at David's honesty. Take Psalm 13 for example:
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the Lord
because he is good to me.
Now imagine singing this song on Sunday morning. Imagine passionately expressing each sentence, each word as it was intended to be. How would the words impact your thoughts, your feelings?
Our church services, more often then not, focus on verse 5 & 6. "...I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me." But we omit the "But..."
The power in verse 5 & 6 lies in the fact that verses 1 - 4 exist. We feel God has forgotten us. Our soul is in anguish. Our enemies triumph over us. God feels distant. We have no joy. Death is sought. Failure is imminent.
Certainly not a carefully edited sparkly world.
A. & J., don't believe in the lie that you need to project the right image to be loved and accepted. God craves your honesty (He knows you anyway, so why hide from Him?). And it is when we are truly honest with Him we begin to see Him as He is: A God of unfailing love, who rescues, who is so good.
Also, don't believe you have to be perfect with the people around you, especially those who really do care for you. Be real. Let go of your attempts at cleaning up what you think is ugly. Surrender what you feel is unpresentable. Be vulnerable. Let God change what really matters! And if someone close to you gets offended in the process, extend grace, because they, just like you, are trying to figure the same stuff out.
*I owe this phrase to Shauna Niequist, a guest on MOPS "Beautiful Mess" Video series.