Here you can see our watermelons, strawberries, and tomatoes. They look absolutely perfect. In fact, they probably are even Facebook “perfect.” I could put this photo out there to show off what a fabulous harvest I had from my garden. I could make all my Facebook friends jealous that my harvest “was better than” their harvest.
Putting on pretenses.
We all do this in life. We do this in our workplace. We do this in our social circles. We do this especially in church.
Putting on a good front so that we look “perfect.”
If we were actually “real” … if we actually let people see the “real me” … they would judge. For sure, in most religious circles people would judge!
In our workplace, if we were “real” and if our coworkers saw our vulnerabilities and weaknesses, they would use them as an opportunity to take advantage of us in order to get ahead themselves.
They would exploit our weaknesses to make themselves look better. Knowing the areas where we are “weak” would then give them a better chance to “stab us in the back.”
And so, we put on pretenses. We hide our flaws. We pretend to be “perfect.”
But as you can see from this photo of the exact same watermelons, strawberries, and tomatoes … they aren’t “perfect” after all.
One of the watermelons has a rotten place. One of the strawberries is bird-pecked. Several of the tomatoes are split-apart.
And so it is the same in our own lives.
Just like the little watermelon, we all have places in our life that are a little bit “rotten.” You know … those areas you’re working on, but you’re “not quite there yet.”
Just like the bird-pecked strawberry, we all have damaged places in our life where someone has “pecked at us” and “eaten away at us.”
And just like the tomatoes, we all have places in our lives where we just can’t handle it all anymore, and we’re beginning to “split apart.” It’s all just too much!
We all have faults. We all have flaws. We all have failures.
We all have insecurities. We all have hurt & pain we’re dealing with.
It would be easy to just say: “Don’t put on pretenses. Be real.”
But then as stated before, our “realness” would make us a target … especially at work. Our “realness” would result in condemnation and judgement from religious people at church.
I guess the only thing I can really say is: You can’t put on pretenses forever. You can’t pretend to be “perfect” forever. You can’t always be putting on a good front. It will wear you out!
You need to be “real” … to people who are a “safe place” for you.
Who is your “safe place”?
Find your “safe place” … and in the privacy and protection of your “safe place” let go of the pressure of having to be “perfect.” Let go of “putting on a good front.” And just be real.
Be who God made you to be!
