“His Truth will set you free." ~ John 8:32
Paul stood at the bar, waiting for
his cappuccino when the barista politely asked him what he was up to today.
“Off to Hawaii,” he smiled, to celebrate our 30th anniversary with
my wife. After a brief minute of chatting, the barista handed over his drink and
wished Paul a nice trip. “But then again,” she said, “why wouldn’t you? You’re
so lucky!”
His brain stuttered for a
moment. She wasn’t being rude or sarcastic, but authentic. Every part of him
paused while his thoughts battled to catch up. That young girl saw him no more
than five minutes a day - always dressed up on the way to his executive
position in one of the industry’s largest auto suppliers. That’s all she saw …
so that’s all she knew.
There’s a kind of darkness in assumptions, especially when
so many of our connections happen only 5 minutes at a time - fully filtered and
faultlessly posted. It’s not entirely our fault. Our battles don’t translate
well with a dozen people waiting behind us or 140 characters to describe our
day.
Paul had recently been diagnosed with ALS, their oldest son
was fighting drug addiction, and he felt the guilt of not being able to do
enough for his aging parents.
He felt like a fraud. If he next showed up wearing his scarred and
tattered self, a very different girl would stare back at him.
Paul was self-conscious of his smile. He was afraid to swim
in the ocean, avoided playing memory games, and wondered if he was present
enough with his family. He could be petty at times and often took things way
too personally. His online persona shared none of that. Nor does it reveal how
morbidly terrified he is of his future health limitations.
He grapples with feelings of
inadequacy. Is he smart enough? Funny enough? Godly enough?
But one thing’s for sure; even with all his frailty, fears,
and faults - none of those things make his life less complete. Fears, scars,
and shortcomings tell stories too. Maybe it’s not about collecting “likes” for
the perceived reality we portray on Facebook but about the purple hearts we get
for bravely living an authentic life - blemishes and all.
So, give up the act. Get
comfortable being vulnerable. Focus on connections, not possessions. And give
from your core gifts - all those qualities that make you uniquely you. When you
do, you honor and lift everyone and everything you touch … including yourself.
Accept the messiness and
complexity of your reality – it’s what makes your soul beautiful.
Lord, Your Word says that everything created
by You is good; that nothing should be rejected. Help me to be comfortable with
who You made me to be. Give me the courage to be honest, truthful, vulnerable,
and authentic. Amen
