See Through (from the Archives)

Transparency is a tough thing in relationships. We all feel the pressure to be careful about the "you" you let others see. I think this is because we all crave love and acceptance. Before you write this off as a "mushy" post, indulge me for a minute...

Our world thrives on fakeness. Perfection is the standard and we all realize that we cannot achieve perfection so we put on masks. We don't want people to see who we really are. So we apply this standard of perfection to every situation of life. 

• Don't feel good enough at your job? Embellish your accomplishments for your peers.
• Don't drive a "nice enough" car or own a "nice enough" house? Take out a loan you cannot afford so that you can feel better about yourself.
• Don't let people come over to your house because they might see how you really live.
• Don't feel spiritual enough? Fake it.

Sometimes "faking" it seems like it's the only way to make it in life.

It won't come as a surprise; God sees through our fakeness. Yet somehow God loves and accepts us anyway.

1 John 3:1 says - "How great  is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

We do things in order to be loved and valued. If we'll just open our eyes we will see that we are already loved and valued. When we truly embrace this truth, suddenly all of that "other stuff" fades away. 

Imagine how different life could be if we were just real with one another, acknowledged our weaknesses and, instead of hiding behind nice little facades, we would wave the banner and shout from the top of our lungs "I am a child of God!" For that is what you are. Own it.

**This post originally appeared on this blog on August 29, 2012