Exposed

As a Christian, and wife of a minister, I will be the first to tell you that I don’t have it all together. I am not much for pretense, either.

Life will throw you curves, twists, and a big dose of humility. I have faced challenges that have pushed me WAY beyond my comfort zone. Writing this blog is out of my comfort zone. But I know that seeking to live only a comfortable life will not result in growing my faith or greater strength as I depend on God.

One thing I seek to do (with all my stuff)- is live my life in the light. I want nothing to be hidden. I have chosen to expose my stuff. That means I have made the choice to share with others, in private and public settings, every part of my life.

Living in the light means I want to be real and authentic. Most of all, I want God to be glorified. There is no other way to explain where I am other than God’s grace and mercy. I am free to live exposed. My life is His.

I want people to know that God redeems and restores. The enemy will lie to you so that you keep hiding from the truth. Friend, that will keep you from walking in the freedom God has given us through THE GOSPEL because of what Christ did on the CROSS.

Still, in our broken sinful world, most of us have carried loads of hurt and disappointment. Storms and pain are part of life and they serve a great purpose. God wants to grow us through these trials, and at the same time, the enemy is seeking to destroy us. God wants us to BELIEVE Him and the enemy wants us to doubt God’s ability to deliver us.

What I have discovered is that hard things are good for us because they reveal a lot about the condition of our hearts and mind. Hard things reveal where we are really putting our hope and trust when we feel disappointed. Those very things we don’t want are the very things God is using to conform us to Him!

Sanctification is usually a LONG, ongoing process and we want quick results. Quick is just not how God always chooses to work. He knows what is best and He sees the whole picture. Most of all, He knows our hearts.

Chuck read me a quote by Jennie Allen a few months ago, when I was really struggling with my own personal weakness and insecurity. This is not verbatim, but Jennie said something to the effect that it’s more beneficial for others to see my weaknesses than my strengths.

We all want to be strong and hide our weaknesses from others but that will only lead us to be more lonely and discouraged. Showing weakness requires vulnerability, revealing things about ourselves that are not impressive, and being honest about the struggles we try to hide.

This is not easy always. It’s hard to speak words that admit the truth to the lies I am believing about myself. It’s even harder to speak words admitting the truth about the sin in my life. It’s HARD to speak words admitting the pain and hurt I feel about something.

Often our pain causes us to hide.

We withdraw. We shut down and shut people out. We pretend it doesn’t hurt and some of us just keep going like everything is fine.

But it is NOT.

Why do we feel like we need to wear a mask? Why do we feel like we need to appear like we have it all together – when we are barely hanging by a string?

If things are easy and I’m enjoying success, I so easily get puffed up with pride and complacent about my relationship with Christ. Critical attitudes slide in so deceptively and before I know it I walking the path of a Pharisee. I think I have it all together when I am far from righteous. Apparently, my sinful heart is so easily led astray and requires a good dose of weakness and humbling circumstances to keep it going in the right direction. And for that, I am actually thankful that God doesn’t leave me to my destructive self.

It is good to be exposed. I pray we are all asking God to shine His light on our hearts and expose us for what we really are. And I pray we have friends who live out their lives with transparency and HOPE. I pray we are those friends to others. We need people who share the truth with us and we need to share the truth with others.

This is what we were created for….relationship with God and others. Unfortunately, in our Instagram-perfect worlds of pretense and boasting- true friendship can elude us. Wrapped in worldly systems and values we get off track and pursue the wrong things. We promote self and forget that God told us to think less of ourselves and more of others. We hide our pain and grief from others. We base our identities on what we do or what we have. We hide our true selves and live empty lives wrapped up in worthless things.

I have learned that not everyone will be a true and authentic friend. But God will bring the right friends into your life if you will ask and wait on Him. Meanwhile, do the work you need to do to be ready for the people God will bring into your life. Self examine. Confess. Repent. Seek God and be willing to not base your identity and worth on what this world calls success.

Exposure – God’s way- with His people leads to life and life abundantly!

Full of Hope,

Monica