Hi Everyone,
I finished reading "The Cure" a while ago and I want to share with you some excerpts from it. The reason I'm sharing this is because I know how easy it is for us to put masks on which cause us to appear strong to those around us. This mask we wear isolates from others and we are usually unwilling to receive help. I'm concerned that some of us are refusing help from our brothers and sisters in the Lord, because we think we need to be able to get through life's issues and difficulties on our own. We have been trained very well to live independently by our society, but this is not how we should live as Christians. So, I ask you to lower your defenses for a moment and consider the following illustration.
The premise of "The Cure" describes the writer approaching and entering a hotel he finds along a journey. He writes:
"After a long while, passing many more travelers by the wayside, I see a giant building looming in the distance. It looks like a hotel. As I get closer, I can see there's writing in bronze lettering across the front: Striving Hard to Be All God Wants Me to Be. Finally: Something for me to do. I strive after success in my career. I strive after keeping fit. Why would it be any less with God?
"I draw closer and notice a door: Above the doorknob, a small, ornate plaque is bolted to the heavy wooden door. Self-Effort, it reads. Of course! God does His part, and I do mine. It's about time someone said it.
"I turn the handle and walk in.
"I'm stunned to find a huge open room filled with thousands of people. I scan the group, trying to take it all in. 'So, these are the people really living for Jesus.' Soon I notice there's a woman, a hostess maybe, standing next to me. She is immaculately groomed. Every hair is perfectly in place, her makeup accentuating her feature, her smile is wide and toothy. nothing about her seems out of place.
'Welcome to the Room of Good Intentions'
"She says it clean and cool, like she's been greeting people all her life. There's just the tiniest little shred about it that's unsettling, but I'm so excited to finally be here I don't think much of it.
"'You have no idea how long I've waited to find this place!' I return her smile, grasping her primly outstretched hand. I call out to the crowd, almost involuntarily, 'Hey, how's everyone doing?'
"The room goes silent. It's full of beautiful people, smiling people. Some of them wear elaborately crafted masks, which is great because I love masquerades. This looks like my kind of place. One man steps forward. His smile, like the hostess, is broad. His bleached white teeth look as if they had been lined up by a ruler.
"'Welcome,' he begins, shaking my hand firmly. 'We're fine. Thank you for asking. Just fine. Aren't we everyone?' A few in the crowd behind him nod, smiling along. 'My kinds are doing great and...um...I'm about to close some very lucrative deals at work. More fit than when I was in high school, I'm telling you. I'm doing just fine. Everyone here is.'
"Before I can reflect on how strange that sounded, the hostess asks how I'm doing. 'Me? Well, to be honest, I've been struggling with some stuff. That's partly why I'm here. I'm trying to figure out....'
"'Shhhh,' she interrupts me, putting a flawlessly manicured index finger to her lips. She reaches behind a podium and pulls out a mask, handing it to me. She nods her head with a curt smile, indicating I should put it on. I stare at it for a moment. Others in the room are excitedly motioning for me to do so. Slowly, I slide the mask over my face.
"My next thought is it might be best to back off on the self-revelation. I find myself answering, as if from somewhere far away, 'You know, I'm great. I'm doing fine!' And everyone in the room smiles before returning to their conversations.
"So many good-hearted people fill this room. They have devoted themselves to God, to studying His character, to pouring themselves into spreading His word, to serving humanity in the name of Jesus. This must be it! Soon God and I will be close again."
For some reason, we have bought into the lie of this equation: More right behavior + Less wrong behavior = Godliness. As Judah Smith says, the consciousness of sin never gives us power to overcome sin. In other words, we can never resolve our sin by working on it.
As I said above, I know people who are unwilling to share the truth issues they are facing in life. In the end, this decision causes them to suffer much longer. They began to believe somewhere along the line that they must be strong and independent. They don't want others to feel sorry for them. "I have to earn love and acceptance. I have to prove my worth", they think of themselves. But look at what John Lynch, author of "The Cure" writes:
"No one told me that when I wear a mask, only my mask receives love. We can gain admiration and respect from behind a mask. We can even intimidate. But as long as we're behind a mask, any mask, we will not be able to receive love. Then, in our desperation to be loved, we'll rush to fashion more masks, hoping the next will give us what we're longing for: To be known, accepted, trusted and loved.
"This is no new phenomenon. Remember its source? God came in the cool of the day to be with Adam and Eve. He called out to a hiding Adam, 'Where are You?' though He knew very well where Adam was. Adam responded, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.'"
I finished reading "The Cure" a while ago and I want to share with you some excerpts from it. The reason I'm sharing this is because I know how easy it is for us to put masks on which cause us to appear strong to those around us. This mask we wear isolates from others and we are usually unwilling to receive help. I'm concerned that some of us are refusing help from our brothers and sisters in the Lord, because we think we need to be able to get through life's issues and difficulties on our own. We have been trained very well to live independently by our society, but this is not how we should live as Christians. So, I ask you to lower your defenses for a moment and consider the following illustration.
The premise of "The Cure" describes the writer approaching and entering a hotel he finds along a journey. He writes:
"After a long while, passing many more travelers by the wayside, I see a giant building looming in the distance. It looks like a hotel. As I get closer, I can see there's writing in bronze lettering across the front: Striving Hard to Be All God Wants Me to Be. Finally: Something for me to do. I strive after success in my career. I strive after keeping fit. Why would it be any less with God?
"I draw closer and notice a door: Above the doorknob, a small, ornate plaque is bolted to the heavy wooden door. Self-Effort, it reads. Of course! God does His part, and I do mine. It's about time someone said it.
"I turn the handle and walk in.
"I'm stunned to find a huge open room filled with thousands of people. I scan the group, trying to take it all in. 'So, these are the people really living for Jesus.' Soon I notice there's a woman, a hostess maybe, standing next to me. She is immaculately groomed. Every hair is perfectly in place, her makeup accentuating her feature, her smile is wide and toothy. nothing about her seems out of place.
'Welcome to the Room of Good Intentions'
"She says it clean and cool, like she's been greeting people all her life. There's just the tiniest little shred about it that's unsettling, but I'm so excited to finally be here I don't think much of it.
"'You have no idea how long I've waited to find this place!' I return her smile, grasping her primly outstretched hand. I call out to the crowd, almost involuntarily, 'Hey, how's everyone doing?'
"The room goes silent. It's full of beautiful people, smiling people. Some of them wear elaborately crafted masks, which is great because I love masquerades. This looks like my kind of place. One man steps forward. His smile, like the hostess, is broad. His bleached white teeth look as if they had been lined up by a ruler.
"'Welcome,' he begins, shaking my hand firmly. 'We're fine. Thank you for asking. Just fine. Aren't we everyone?' A few in the crowd behind him nod, smiling along. 'My kinds are doing great and...um...I'm about to close some very lucrative deals at work. More fit than when I was in high school, I'm telling you. I'm doing just fine. Everyone here is.'
"Before I can reflect on how strange that sounded, the hostess asks how I'm doing. 'Me? Well, to be honest, I've been struggling with some stuff. That's partly why I'm here. I'm trying to figure out....'
"'Shhhh,' she interrupts me, putting a flawlessly manicured index finger to her lips. She reaches behind a podium and pulls out a mask, handing it to me. She nods her head with a curt smile, indicating I should put it on. I stare at it for a moment. Others in the room are excitedly motioning for me to do so. Slowly, I slide the mask over my face.
"My next thought is it might be best to back off on the self-revelation. I find myself answering, as if from somewhere far away, 'You know, I'm great. I'm doing fine!' And everyone in the room smiles before returning to their conversations.
"So many good-hearted people fill this room. They have devoted themselves to God, to studying His character, to pouring themselves into spreading His word, to serving humanity in the name of Jesus. This must be it! Soon God and I will be close again."
For some reason, we have bought into the lie of this equation: More right behavior + Less wrong behavior = Godliness. As Judah Smith says, the consciousness of sin never gives us power to overcome sin. In other words, we can never resolve our sin by working on it.
As I said above, I know people who are unwilling to share the truth issues they are facing in life. In the end, this decision causes them to suffer much longer. They began to believe somewhere along the line that they must be strong and independent. They don't want others to feel sorry for them. "I have to earn love and acceptance. I have to prove my worth", they think of themselves. But look at what John Lynch, author of "The Cure" writes:
"No one told me that when I wear a mask, only my mask receives love. We can gain admiration and respect from behind a mask. We can even intimidate. But as long as we're behind a mask, any mask, we will not be able to receive love. Then, in our desperation to be loved, we'll rush to fashion more masks, hoping the next will give us what we're longing for: To be known, accepted, trusted and loved.
"This is no new phenomenon. Remember its source? God came in the cool of the day to be with Adam and Eve. He called out to a hiding Adam, 'Where are You?' though He knew very well where Adam was. Adam responded, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.'"
If you've taken the time to read this, I hope it will prove helpful to you. You may not believe it to be true, but there is always reason to hope, but God will always support you--He is faithful.
If you feel as though no one loves you, it's probably because they've only ever loved your mask; you haven't opened up to them.
If you're tired of feeling weak, it's probably because you've never allowed someone to encourage you.
One last thought from John Lynch:
"The greatest hope for any mask-wearer is in understanding all masks eventually crack and dissolve, gradually revealing what is hidden beneath. All masks crumble because they are man-made.
"This is a good thing, though. Imagine if the mask didn't crack. It would forever separate us from love, authenticity, and freedom. We could go our entire lives missing what we were created to enjoy. Our endlessly loving God allows our masks to fall apart because He cares so deeply for us."
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy