Living behind masks is a common
practice in today's society. We emulate successful people and, in the process,
abandon our true self - sticking him/her in a closet in the deep recesses of
our soul.
The mistake is that we do not
realize that eventually we will tire of the facadei and our true self will
express our real thoughts and feelings and then make vital choices that effect
everything about us.
Initially, we are drawn to our
mate by what we perceive as true. When our mate's facade begins to crack, we
are disillusioned and maybe even dismayed by what we find inside.
A closet drinker, drug addict,
over-eater, underachiever, work-a-holic, control freak, couch potato,
criticizer, bully, etc. may come creeping out, and we realize we were fooled.
This is when the fighting begins in the marriage.
If we have a prophetic nature, we
may tend to point out the basic base nature of our spouse. This may cause
him/her to feel criticized; so that they will point out to us all of our faults
and imperfections. Hurt feelings, anger and arguments ensue.
Actually, realizing what we need
to work on is a good thing and we can hold each other accountable. Mutually
discovering short-comings will stop the charade in our marriage and enable us
to relax more and find more comfort in our relationship.
Counseling will help us to adjust
to and accept these negative character traits in our self and in our mate as we
attempt to surrender our life to God's sanctifying work.
If our partner attends counseling
too, this may help to free him/her from their negative weaknesses as well. This
unbiased, professional input will help both of us to improve our idiosyncrasies,
develop more character in each of us and help us to live with God's Agape love
toward each other.
We will grow more intimate in our
relationship and have more light to shine into the dark world around us in
order to bring others to Christ. Passion will rise and the routine of life will
have more variety and pizzazz.
Prayer:
Father God, the fruit of Your Spirit
will grow within each of us and meld us into one flesh in Christ, who abides
within us. Remind us that as we embrace Christ in us, Your Spirit transforms us
with the mind of Christ into His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
Show us that an uncovered
relationship allows us and our partner to feel more loved by each other, to receive
more affirmation for who we really are, to diminish the pressure of hiding
behind masks, and to set us free to be human.
Thought for the Day:
As we live in the moment, we fear
less and love more; experiencing through Christ in us a deeper, fulfilled life
that does not need to hide behind masks in order to be accepted.
