Get Real
By Jeannine Sawall
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us
free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke
of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1
My
children loved to play dress-up. At any moment, you could find them dressed in
a suit of armor, a superhero costume, have a bucket on their head as they
slayed a dragon, or a fuzzy lion’s mane as they roared around the kitchen. I
remember one day, my youngest changed his persona about four times in the span
of an hour. Finally, he took off his costume and became a “real” boy again.
As
children, dressing up and pretending to be something you’re not is a great way
to grow creatively; however, as Christians, pretending to be someone or
something we aren’t is never a good thing. We are called to live authentic
lives and to be real.
We
may feel that to be a “good Christian,” we need to go out into the world hiding
behind our armor, because if anyone saw the “real me” or knew our “real
thoughts,” they would think less highly of us. We wear false manes of courage
so that God looks “good,” even though we may be struggling with fear on the
inside. Or maybe we put our mask on at church. We walk the walk and talk the
talk, and then when we exit the doors, we take off our “church face” and live a
whole different life.
Yes, we all have fears and doubts at times, and we will fall short. But being “real” in this world concerning our struggles, fears and faults allows others to see the difference Christ can make in our lives if we allow Him. Don’t settle for the artificial. While dress-up is a great game to play as a child, there comes a point where we need to put the masks away with each other - - and with God - - and get real.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Where in your life are you pretending?
2. What mask
do you need to remove to bring a deeper level of authenticity into your walk?
FURTHER READING:
Jeannine
is a wife and active mother of four boys. She works in property management and
is a part of the Special Events team for Oakwood’s We Women ministries.
