You May Not Be a Beauty Queen; Shed the Mask Anyway (Reflect Christ)

One of the things I absolutely love about my daughter is her authenticity. With Rachel, you get what you see. There is nothing false about her. No pretense. No mask.

When she likes something, you know it. You know when she’s upset about something. When she’s into a sermon or likes a hymn, you know that as well (despite whether her response is deemed “appropriate” or not).

Rachel lives in the freedom of who she was created to be. It allows her to reflect the Lord’s love to the world.

But if you’re anything like me, you are often hesitant to share the real you. You want a more polished version. A persona that is more acceptable.

Yet, if God had wanted us to always be accepted, he wouldn’t have told us to be salt and light in the world. He wouldn’t have instructed us to go into all the world and share His good news.

We wouldn’t need His divine strength if we were going to “go with the flow” and be like everyone else.

Reflect Christ

In order to be salt and light, in order to reflect the Lord well, we need to be who we were created to be. To stand for His truth and shine His light, we need to expose who we really are.

In order to be salt and light, in order to reflect the Lord well, we need to be who we were created to be. To stand for His truth and shine His light, we need to expose who we really are. Click To Tweet

God uses us all in unique ways to create a beautiful tapestry of His Divine work on earth. Only you have just the right abilities, personality traits, and experiences to complete the piece.

And you are in a position to best reflect the Lord only if you let the real you show.

None of us are beauty queens, at least not on the inside. We all have blemishes. Yet when we take off the mask of pretense, the glorious grace of the Lord makes us into a more perfect image of Him.

And that’s where freedom and real beauty are found. Just like we see in Rach.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13, 15-16).

Reflections: Which masks do you have trouble taking off? How does it hinder you in being salt and light?

By His grace ≈

Julie

Linking with Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience in 2013 with my Joy Dare list for Multitude Mondays (#1893–1913, read the entire list by clicking here):

Handing out cross necklaces at parade; My girl’s smile while riding her tryke in the parade; Smell of past rain
Treating my family to berry-topped sopapillas; Playing Hacky Sack w/ the boys; A house to run to when the gnats get bad
First time Rachel actually enjoyed the fair; Wonderful concert by Sidewalk Prophets; Forever love & generosity of my mom
Rach squeeling w/ delight &sending her bros to catch more lightening bugs; Picking buckets of black raspberries; S’mores
Surprising beauty of Rachel’s Pooh Garden; Fresh blueberries off the bushes; Strange comfort of an editing project
50th Anniversary celebration at Camp IoDisECa; Compassion of people around Rachel; Bikes repaired
Wonderful wild edibles; Canned black raspberry jelly & syrup; Worshiping in my church home today–filled w/ truth & love

Also linking with the following wonderful site: