05.03
Have you ever seen a photo of a shirtless father holding his naked newborn child? There are several hanging in Phipps Plaza. Skin against skin. Very cool shots. My friend, Bryan, has a three week old son and wanted to have a similar picture made with his son. The day came for the shoot and all was going well. Garrett, his son, was in a great mood. Everyone was having a great time and the photographer was capturing some picture perfect moments. Then, in the middle of the shoot, Garrett started having a bowel movement all over Bryan. Bryan quickly picked Garrett up, saving the day, only to have Garrett start peeing into Bryan’s mouth. Gross! The shoot went from picture perfect to picture awful.
Once everyone got cleaned up, the photographer wrapped up the morning with some great shots of Bryan and Garrett. But the events of that morning are etched into Bryan’s memory.
It’s easy to admire photographs and not see the behind the scenes turmoil that it takes to make them happen. The same is true of our lives. We present cleaned up pictures and don’t show people what’s going on behind the scenes. That’s why Jesus begins Matthew 6 by reminding us not to be fake. He knows the danger of presenting a picture perfect life. He warns us not to give, pray, or fast to be seen by men. If you’re like me, it’s easy to slip into ‘Picture Perfect Mode,’ letting people see our successes without pointing out our struggles and messes.
Jesus’ teachings remind me to show my flaws and messes as much (or more) than my successes. It keeps me ‘authentic’ to others. So how about making this commitment for the week… the next time the world messes on you, be careful to tell the whole story to others. Don’t let them only see the picture perfect moment at the end.
Have you ever encountered someone who was genuine and authentic, sharing their mess, as well as their success? Post a comment about how s/he affected you.
It’s easy to sit back and see the “Perfect World” presented by so many people, especially at Church on Sunday morning. We are all up, listening to great music around great people – worshiping the Lord. Everybody is smiling and happy. You don’t want to say anything to anybody that might wreck their mood – so you smile and reply “pretty good” even when you are all knotted up inside. It when people share their stories and you see the perfect people hurt, cry or explain what they have been through that you can see you are not alone. Comparing your insides to the worlds outsides is very dangerous – but it is such an easy trap to fall into.
I tend to want to hide or mask my feelings or weaknesses. When someone asks, “how are you doing?” my quick response is usually, “Good, I’m good!” which is not usually true. Why am I afraid to show my true self? The reason is having those vulnerable moments used against me or gossiped about only to find out later that the one person I trusted the most is the one that started the spin.
So why would I want to be open and transparent?
I have found that with good Christian friends and family, being open about myself not only frees me from the bondage of my burdens, but it allows those fellow, true faced friends to pray for me specifically and share my burdens with me.
I love this scripture;
Galatians 6:1 MSG Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. 2 Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law.
Love one another; lift them up in prayer as they are doing for you. When I am aware that my brothers and sisters in Christ are praying on my behalf, the gossip or hurtful situations aren’t as prevalent. They still bite, and the comfort of prayer and genuine concern overwhelm all stings.
I really like the MSG translation of those verses…