The Key of Vulnerability
1 Samuel 16:7
‘The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’
It is so easy to present yourself to others as someone you’re not. We all put on masks and filters to give people the impression of ourselves that we want them to see. Instagram becomes our highlight reel of ‘what our life looks like’ and the not-so-pretty areas get hidden away. Having deep, faith-building relationships within a church community is a great way to remove some of these filters we adopt (watch out for GS Groups launch on 19th September!)
But the greater issue comes when we persist in presenting someone that we’re not to both ourselves and to God. We suppress the areas that aren’t ‘attractive’ for even our own minds, let alone anyone else’s. The lies of the enemy start to eat away at our identities, and we end up forgetting the ‘real us’ in certain areas and can let this fester for years.
This is deep stuff. But we can take hope in the fact that the Lord knows us even better than we know ourselves. As lockdown has brought me into a restricted reality where I have been compelled to look into the depths of my heart and character, I’ve needed to comprehend the false reality I had been living in some parts of my life. By his grace Jesus unearthed some of this gunk which has needed pulling out of the plug hole for a while. It’s been painful but so necessary. It’s took courage but the reward has been great. And I also now have the understanding that this will be an ongoing process throughout my life - God isn’t done yet!
Perhaps you’re in a moment of your life where you’re hiding from yourself and God in certain areas and you know it’s time to address things. It may be a time where God is encouraging you to take a season to step back, buckle in and ‘go there’ - just you and him.
Prayer –Thank you that you look at my heart. Give me courage and comfort. Remove the lies of the enemy. I give myself permission to go on the next deep journey with you. Please bring your healing and your freedom.