Unmasking "Okay"

Do you ever choose your vocabulary based on the group of people you're around?
Ever filter or censor?
Or maybe you color normal speak/text/type with four letter words that seem like expression
Doesn't everybody?
*See footnote

Do you use social media and comment boxes as a place to act like someone else, or articulate your opinions in a way you might never in a face to face situation?
Anonymously even?

Is it real life interaction that you can't seem to nail down?
Does it makes you uncomfortable, or fearful or self-conscious or tired
So you hide behind personas, smiles, expectations, drama or apathy - carefully calculating how people think you will respond or act before entering a situation?
Or maybe you just genuinely don't like people
I get it: people stink (figuratively and sometimes literally) but we kinda ALL need each other

Intending good, for yourself, or others have you ever faked an attitude, action or emotion?
Or have you told a different version of the same story, same event - different flavor - to a different group of people?

Guilty.
As.
Charged.
(except for not liking people and the comment box one - oh and I don't use four letter words anymore...This makes me seem like a credible person to write and talk about being real - right?)

We shape-shift
And act our way through situations
We disguise and hide
We all do it - It may be a momentary mask - But it's not okay
Because that mask is a lie
A lie we tell consciously, unconsciously, and subconsciously
To others and ourselves
We lie ourselves into something we are not
And without intention those lies become us

"For we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place."
-- Isaiah 28:15b

Faking it is easy
Being real takes courage
Being real is different
And it starts intentionally with the little stuff
Like the casual "Hi, how are you?"
What if we answered honestly?
Because "fine and okay" are the usual responses, but maybe I'm not fine, maybe you're less than okay
And what if when we ask - we really want to know...the barista at Starbucks, the cashier at the grocery, the friend, the co-worker, the sister, the husband, the child

What if instead of disguising, stuffing, hiding - we acknowledge the truth?
That we are simply ourselves
Emotional
Imperfect, but wholly us
We maybe don't fit in with every group
And we don't have it all together
I. Don't. Have. It. All. Together
But what if I don't have to?
What if all I need to do is HOLD onto the One that does?

Because When I'm not enough
God says, "I am your portion.  My grace is enough, in all things and at all times I will provide all that you need, For my power is made perfect in your weakness"
-Psalm 73:26b, 2Corinthians 12:9, 2Corinthians 9:8

What if being real looked a lot like letting go
"People don't choose to be courageous, they just choose not to be afraid anymore"
- Bob Goff

Let go of fear
Because God made you, and He called you good
But, maybe you're crippled
Crippled by fear, or pride, or insecurity, or doubt, or inadequacy or maybe you're physically crippled - and through what seems like a deficiency it's hard to see how good you are
Hear this...

    "Another time Jesus went into the meeting place, and a man with a shriveled hand was there... Jesus said to the man, 'Stand up in front of everyone...and stretch out your hand.'  The man stretched out his hand and was completely restored."
--Mark 3:1-5

This man lived courageously everyday, as himself, imperfect and crippled for the glory of God  Because one day Jesus was going to walk into that meeting place and completely restore him.
There's freedom in being who you were made to be
You were made to shine, not to hide
And Jesus offers us all restoration

What mask do you need to take off?
Don't let yourself become the lie
Believe His truth about who you are
Be brave
Tell yourself the truth
Live Real
Really Live

*Jacob's Dad always told him, "there are a lot of words in the English language and intelligent people can figure out a better way to express themselves - be an intelligent person"  Jacob now repeats this phrase to our two.

Just let that marinate for a minute