Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Ephesians 4:25
When we were out of electricity the other day, my dad decided to bring over the generator so we wouldn’t be out the modern conveniences for too long. For helpers, Dad got me (his favorite), the oldest grandson (the almost man), and the youngest grandson (Mr. Muscles…he’s been waiting for me to find a place for that in one of these writings). We unloaded the generator with my Dad guiding it off the truck and down the planks he had made. The oldest and I were to hold it back so it didn’t run him over. I’m not sure, but I think Mr. Muscles was taking the supervisory role. It went pretty smoothly if you don’t count the generator almost taking my dad down. I guess we weren’t holding it back quite enough. The giggles on my end may have had my dad rethinking his helpers for next time.
We got everything hooked up and ready to go. Of course we come to find out the electricity has already been restored and didn’t need the generator after all! It was time to unhook everything, load it back into the truck, and classify this as a dress rehearsal. Hmmm…I wonder what Dad would have changed to make it go smoother next time…could it have been the helpers…or more like one specific helper?
Now, all we needed to do was get the generator out of the landscaping and back into the truck. That doesn’t sound too hard, and it wasn’t. We did however, run into one tiny mishap. Going into the landscaping, the generator was taken around the shrub that was planted last year, but coming out it was taken over the shrub. Poor Dad figured he could just put that little shrub right between the wheels and it would go right over the top of it. He figured wrong. I was amused, and told him he decapitated my shrub! He walks over and says, “Hmm, thought I had enough clearance.” It’s in times like this that I get my best memories that make me smile! My dad’s butt print on my garbage can would be another one, but I’m getting off topic.
Now, you might think that was the end of the story…nope. I told the hubby about it, and it didn’t bother him at all either. He is used to my plants and trees coming to a catastrophic end. I’ll have to tell you more about that some other time. At this point, it wasn’t even ruined! What did surprise me was when I walked past that shrub later in the afternoon and it looked completely fine. Did the hubby actually take the top and put it back on? That might last for a day or two, but it wouldn’t fool anyone for long. We could pretend that everything was perfect; however that wasn’t really the truth.
I like seeing the real shrub because, although it may not be perfect, it was part of the events that shaped a memory of my dad coming to help his daughter. It represents love. Too often people try to cover up real life by wanting everything to seem perfect, but don’t let them fool you, no matter how badly someone wants to come across as having it all together, they don’t.
I feel like I need to clarify that having a mask of perfection on is different than being positive. Nobody wants to listen to a list of complaints. I’m a HUGE believer in our attitude determining our altitude-whoever said that was brilliant! What I’m talking about though, is putting on a fake mask to hide what we aren’t happy with. The person who does this might deceive themselves or others in the short term, but most people can tell what is genuine and what isn’t.
We all know that perfection isn’t possible, yet when we are on the receiving end of the “everything is perfect” attitude two things could happen. We roll our eyes because it is so outrageous or we allow it to undermine our confidence. We might say, “What am I doing so wrong?”
Do people wear these masks because they want to feel superior or see someone struggling? I don’t believe that’s the case. I believe it has to do with a lack of self-esteem in them and it has nothing at all to do with the person they’re talking to or they are trying to fool themselves. What these people don’t realize is that they are missing out on an opportunity. They could be a sense of inspiration by being real with the problems they face. We can get inspired by seeing someone face a difficulty with hope of a good outcome.
If you doubt yourself because of dealing with what I’ve talked about, please say, “I’m glad for them, but real life isn’t perfect. There are going to be struggles to face, and I’m not the first or will I be the last to face them. I can face them with a positive attitude without pretending.”
Here are some truths that I can share with you:
- I make mistakes…often…but I can learn from them and can be forgiven.
- My kids are going to argue and act up, but that doesn’t mean I’m a bad mom, it means they have opportunities to grow.
- I feel like I don’t have what it takes sometimes, but this is when God can show His strength.
- My eyes are prone to be glazed over by the end of the school day, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be homeschooling, it means I’m giving everything I have to give. It allows me to see my husband as a superhero that comes in and saves the day by allowing me to regroup.
- I don’t feel positive or at peace all the time, but that pushes me to listen harder for God to direct me.
- Practice makes progress, not perfection. “Practice makes progress” was in a devotion I read, and I hold that one close!
What if you are the one pretending? I have to tell you that I believe honesty is one of the most important characteristics that someone can have. I like to think I’m a very honest person, yet I’m being dealt with on this. I’ve been dealing with some crazy health stuff lately and I’m sooo over it, unfortunately my body didn’t get that memo. When asked how I’m feeling, I tend to do the “I’m fine” phrase. I was straight-up asked why I was lying. WHAT? Was I really asked that? Oh no they didn’t! After a deep breath, I was struck by how they were right. I wasn’t being honest. I don’t want to drag someone down, I don’t want someone to worry, and frankly, I want to speak positive things into my life. That is all great, but am I keeping things real? I should be saying, “Not perfect, but I’m getting there!”
Two things…we can’t let anyone take our self-confidence because they are full of hot air, and don’t put on a mask because it only makes us unrelatable. Put off falsehoods and speak truthfully today!
