The Real Me

We just had a wonderful time in Taft, Texas this past weekend as the Living the Life team and I shared with a group of women. One of my talks was entitled "The Real Me".

I shared about how we need to take off our masks before God and before one another. Jesus warned against wearing masks like the Pharisees:

"...But Jesus' primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, "Watch yourselves carefully so you don't get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can't keep your true self hidden forever; before long you'll be exposed. You can't hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can't whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day's coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town." Luke 12:1-3 (Message)

Jesus is concerned for us. Lord help us NOT to be phony or double minded! We are not to pretend to be something that we're not. A great example of someone who chose to be real is the woman who poured the expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus as she washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair. Mary's story can be found in all four gospels.

Mary knew Jesus was the real deal and came to a breaking point. She made a decision that she was not going to keep living the same way anymore. Unlike Simon the Pharisee who was hiding behind his mask of religion, Mary chose to remove her mask of reputation and be real with Jesus. That's not to mention that she did this during a dinner party in a room FULL of people. Wow! She was being real and didn't care who was there to see it. Yes, she was criticized by Simon and others, but Jesus defended her realness and her act of worship to Him. As a result, she found forgiveness, healing and freedom. And not only that, the fragrance of her perfume filled the room and served as a witness to all.

I want us to be encouraged that this world is not looking for perfect Christians, just REAL Christians. Christians who choose to remove their masks of religion, reputation, self preservation, etc. to allow Jesus to shine through their true faces. You'd be surprised how God can use those blemishes we try to hide. Those scars can serve as a testimony to others of how in the midst of our brokenness and pain, we found hope in a God who forgives, heals and restores.

Choose to show your true face to God and to others so you can be trustworthy and gracious enough to allow others to be real with you, too. After all, God is not glorified in perfection, but in brokenness. I love these lyrics from Natalie Grant's song entitled "The Real Me":

Wonderful, beautiful is what you see
When you look at me
You're turning the tattered fabric of my life into
A perfect tapestry
I just wanna be me

But you see the real me
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Unveil me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to mask my frailty
Oh,Cause you see the real me

And you love me just as I am
Wonderful, beautiful is what you see
When you look at me

AMEN.