The Facade of Perfection

"A lot of kids say that they don't see adults go forward for help in 'Big Church.'" This statement was made by a fellow youth minister in one of the seminars in the Shaping the Heart weekend at Harding University. How scary and yet how true that is. So many adults have gotten used to the facade of perfection that they are leaving a poor example for the generations to follow.

We know that little eyes and young hearts/minds are looking for us to lead the way. They are looking for someone to follow. How can they go where we want them to go if we haven't worn a path for them? We cannot expect our youth to fully understand repentance and the help that the Body can be for one another if we are constantly hiding our needs, fears and struggles behind a mask every Sunday and Wednesday.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am indicting myself, also. I feel myself putting on the mask now and then because it seems to be the easier way out. Just hide away and put the hurt on the back burner while I smile on the outside and shoot the proverbial breeze. But that is so not true! The easier way would be to confront the issue and call on our family members to uplift and encourage us. That is why we are called family and body. We support/hold up the other parts that are sagging. We provide shoulders for each other when someone needs to lean. We help each other.

Let us get away from the facade of perfection. Let's take off the masks that we hide behind. Let's allow God's love flow from us to the person that is struggling. It can't if we don't know that the person is hurting. Let's open up more to one another and let the healing begin.