DAY VII

Removing the Mask

For a long time I thought people shouldn't see my flaws. I thought that when I was going through a tough time I just needed to buck up and be strong; I needed to put on a brave face and just get through it alone. But I've found out otherwise. When you take off the mask (the brave face), you relate at a base level to everyone else who has been through pain -- and everyone has. Honesty promotes intimacy, and intimacy encourages our mutual reliance on God. True honesty is beautiful.
The origin of the word 'hypocrite' comes from the Greek word that literally means " a stage actor . . . one who pretends to be what he is not."
Jesus had some pretty strong words for the play actors, the hypocrites, of His day. They were more concerned with the way they appeared on the outside -- how they looked in their giving to the needy, praying in the synagogues, and in denying themselves through fasting -- than in what should have been happening in their hearts (Matt. 6:1-18) About them Jesus said: (Mark 7:6-7)(Matt. 23:25-27)
What masks do you have a tendency to wear? Do you ever find yourself acting one way with certain people and a completely different way around others? God calls you to walk consistently, allowing you actions to mirror whats going on in your heart. Get rid of the masks and be real with God, yourself, and others.

~Rebecca St. James

DAY VI

Praying Through the Pain

There's a saying in sports when it gets tough for an athlete to compete due to an injury of some sort. The athlete must learn to "play through the pain." I think when it comes to some of the inner pain we all deal with, a good solution is to "pray through the pain." God already knows everything about us, and He knows what we're going through at a given moment. He wants us to come to Him recognizing that we need Him in order to persevere through the pain.
We put pressure on ourselves not to show on the outside what's happening on the inside.
That's why it is so important to have people in our lives who can really bee trusted, and a God who redeems every part of our lives--the mountains as well as the valleys.It's difficult sharing the hard stuff with God or with other people, letting them see the part of you that you're not proud of. But you've got to.
Jesus understands our pain because He's been there. He became flesh and blood by being born in human form.(Hebrews 2:16-18). What an awesome thought. He entered into "every detail" of life. And He knows how to pray through the pain.
(Exodus 3:7-8)(Psalm 81:6-7)
(Psalm 69:29) When your dealing with some kind of private pain, to whom do you go for comfort? Air it out in prayer. God stands ready to hear and to rescue.

~Rebecca St. James