I received the most feedback ever from my post last week entitled “Limitations”. Person after person contacted me to let me know that they too are experiencing limitations in their life and my sharing put into words how they are currently feeling.
I was so touched by those who shared that while they have dealt with the pain of not being able to do what they would like to do…they have gone through this alone. They haven’t shared with others how badly they are hurting…whether it be physically, mentally or even spiritually…because they thought others wouldn’t understand or even care. This just breaks my heart.
I’ve thought about this so much this past week, trying to understand where we (myself included) have gone wrong. Why are there people around us who are hurting so deeply, but don’t feel like they can open up and share their pain? Is it because we have put on a “fake face” around them…leading them to believe we never have difficulties? Do we only share our successes…making it seem like our lives are straight out of a fairy-tale?
A friend of mine recently told me that until she got to know me better…she thought I was “pretty perfect”. I told her it was good I didn’t have liquid or food in my mouth when she shared that…because I probably would have spit it across the room! But as I thought about her words…I was glad that as she has gotten to know me, she has realized that I am not perfect by any means (just ask my husband and kids). It also reminded me that getting to know someone takes time...because our first impression can sometimes be way off the "mark".
Trust me, as our friendship has grown, she has seen some good, some bad and some ugly…and that’s ok. The reason is that if we are going to have a friendship that is healthy, we both need to feel free to be ourselves. We both need to be willing to let our guard down…exposing those areas of our lives where we are hurting…physically, mentally and spiritually. These months of limitations for me would have been so much harder if I would have felt the need to always have it all together in front of her and others.
The plus to being willing to share with one another is that we then know how we can lift each other up in prayer. There isn’t anything sweeter than to know someone else is lifting your concerns up to our Heavenly Father…and nothing more rewarding than having the privilege of being the one to lift up others’ requests.
We have no control over the actions of others…but we can take control of how we act and react around those with whom we do life. We need to ask ourselves: Do we spend our days with a “mask” on…putting on a façade that everything is always perfect in our life? And then secondly: Do we really care about those with whom we come in contact…loving them at every stage of their lives?
So many people are hurting and may feel all alone. They may feel desperate to know that someone cares enough to let them be “real”. 2 Corinthians 1:4 says, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” Let’s make a point this week to be a friend who is willing to come alongside others during their good…their bad…and their ugly.
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