After trying on my new sunglasses in the car one day, my daughter handed them back and said, "These are not sunglasses, Mom. They're just fashion lenses. Let me guess", she teased, "you bought them because you look cute in them". Okay, I have to admit - my daughter knows me. I hadn't given a passing thought to UV rays or even whether those glasses would actually block the sun. I just really liked the way they looked on me.
Most of us like to look good. We want to appear that we "have it all together" - with no struggles or fears or temptations or heartaches. Trying to maintain a facade of perfection on our spiritual journey doesn't help us or our fellow travelers. But sharing our lives with others in the body of Christ benefits us as well as others. When we are a bit more transparent, we may find people who are struggling in a similar situation. And as we enjoy a growing fellowship with God and become more aware of our own brokenness and inadequacy, God is able to use us more fully to help others.
Let's allow God to strip away any pretense and "let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Heb. 10:24). Believers stand strong when they don't stand alone. Wearing a mask that shows everything's fine says that life's struggles are not God's design. But when we're open, transparent, and true, people will trust God to meet their needs to.
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