Good Evening and a Blessed Sunday to all! As summer draws to a close (and I know for some of you, that school bell has already rung), I hope that the transition into fall goes smoothly for everyone. I am having my last summer hurrah this week, spending 6 days on South Padre Island with close lifelong friends. SPI is my haven, and I am SO grateful to get to spend these final days of the season in a place I love with people who mean so much to me. How absolutely jarring it was to learn of the suicide of actor/comedian Robin Williams this past week, and how powerful it has been to see the impact of his loss on so many of us. Except for a brief mention of his death in one post this week, I have mostly reserved comment. And honestly, I have done so because I felt like there was a collection of voices out there already saying everything better than I ever possibly could. What beautiful and extraordinary pieces have been written about him this week! But I would now like to add my voice to the chorus, and offer my thoughts on this tragic turn of events. I thank you in advance for indulging me. There are so many aspects of Williams death that are worthy of discussion: increasing awareness of mental illness and addiction, reviewing his marvelous body of work, and sharing memories of the performances that meant the most to us. But the thing I keep coming back to is this idea of...masks. Facades. Presenting a front that belies what is really going on inside of us. We all have to do this to some degree, right? Be pleasant even when were cranky, be calm even when were angry, be patient even when were about at our wits end. But thats not what Im talking about here. No, what Im taking about is something that runs much deeper. Its about our inner life not matching our outer life. Its about thinking that - in the words of the song Beautiful by Mercy Me - if anyone truly saw your heart theyd see too much. Its about a kind of hiding that is, at best, really unhealthy, and is, at worst, downright deadly. And what I want to say to you tonight is that God doesnt want the hidden you. Hes not interested in the facade you. He is not a God who insists that you straighten up and fly right. He loves the real you, the authentic you, the whole, three-dimensional you, the you that needs Him. The you with all of your flaws and idiosyncrasies and insecurities and sadnesses and messes and weaknesses. Holy Scripture tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7 that God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. God looks at your heart. He knows you. He sees you. And He invites you to come to Him, even in all of your flawed, outrageous humanity. (Pat Conroy). In Matthew 28:11, Jesus says, Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Hear those words. Come to God. Come to Him real and raw. Lay down your weariness and your burdens and receive rest. And this goes for ALL of you, not just those of you whove got it all together. Oh that we could all remove our masks, and come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.(Hebrews 4:18)
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 02:03:03 +0000
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