No Masks

Today at church I was again reminded why I love being around brand new Christians! As someone who has been a believer since I was eight and Baptist since birth I have the Christian lingo, mask, look, down! I know what to say, how to act and what to wear! My whole life I have been a people pleaser, especially, when it came to my relationship with the Lord. I always felt like if I showed my true self, somehow God would love me less. Which does not make much sense, because God is all knowing and all seeing! It took me along time, and had to endure some sadness and heartache in my life, in order to finally realize that God loves me, period...just the way I am. In being transparent, honest and open with the Lord, I have in turned tried to encourage other people to do the same.

Today I was reminded again that God desires that we all come to Him with transparency and realness. God already sees what is in our hearts and our thoughts...so why do we hide our true feelings. Today during Sunday School we were sharing about a time in our lives when we truely felt God's touch on our lives. One guy in the group shared about the time in him and his family life when they lost their son. He told about how his wife had given birth to twins...a little too early (my ears perked up at that), the little girl did really well but the little boy just wasn't strong enough. So instead of allowing him to suffer anymore, the Lord in His grace took the little boy, named Jack, home to Heaven. The dad said that at that moment he fell to his knees and cried out to the Lord. He told the Lord that he was really, "pisted" at him. At first it took me by surprised that this guy would use such a 4-letter word in church. But then I thought...well that is what he was really feeling! Did the Lord, cringe at the word the guy used as his time of need? No, the Lord reached down with grace and mercy and comforted him and his family.

So what about you? Are you willing to be honesst and transparent before the Lord. He desires that we come boldly to Him with the good, the bad and the ugliness of our lifes!