Pictures are moments frozen in time. They capture the best and the worst this life has to offer. When looking at a picture, you can be overcome with a wide range of emotions; joy, pain, bitterness, indifference, and even anger.
Personally, I love pictures. I have some 60,000 pictures stored in various places. (No, you did not read that incorrectly.) I take pictures of everything, places, people, moments in time. I love documenting these moments, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
As I was looking through pictures, I began to think about how people portray themselves in pictures. We get glimpses in time that only tell part of a story.
Think about a social media snapshot. Everyone puts their best face forward for all the world to see. There is no concern for transparency, only fake perfection.
Much of our life is like this. We put on a fake facade and pretend our lives are picture-perfect when in reality, we are struggling. A fear of not living up to the image we want to portray keeps us from seeking guidance or asking for help.
In many cases, even the people closest to us are none the wiser. Although we can fool other people, we cannot fool God. He sees all. The Bible says it like this in Proverbs 15:3 NIV, “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”
Many people could see the fact that God knows all as a scary prospect, but the truth is, it allows Him to minister to us even when we refuse to allow others in.
I know this to be true because, at one point in my life, I refused to let others in despite my pain and despair. During that time, God ministered to me as only a loving and all-knowing Father could. His gentle leading helped me to begin to allow others to speak life into me once again.
See, I realized that God places people in our lives to make this journey a little easier, and when we spend all of our time trying to live up to our idea of perfection, we miss out on what God has for us; peace and relationship.
So, today I ask you, are you living a life of fake perfection, or are you allowing God and the people he has placed in your life to minister to you?
Father,
We come to you to say and pray that we no longer need to portray fake perfection. We ask that you open our hearts and our minds to the people you have placed in our lives to help us carry our burdens. Above all, we thank You because although You know everything about us, You love us unconditionally. Amen
