No, Really, I’m Fine

Have you ever fallen for a lie?

Yea, me too.

Ever wonder why we so easily buy into these lies? These caustic words others say to us, or worse, the ones we say to ourselves? These words that immobilize, making us feel insignificant or confused.

Unfortunately, this fatal falling for lies was modeled for us long ago in a beautiful garden where Eve was tricked, deceived. Eve–the first woman, first wife, first mother, and the first one of us to fall for an ugly lie.

That day Satan met Eve in the garden with a convincing argument, he intended to lead her–and any of us who would follow–away from God’s truth (see Genesis 3).

I mean, really–the woman was in a beautiful, perfect environment with the perfect man, yet Satan found a way to convince her she deserved more. That somehow she didn’t measure up, and God was holding out on her.

Oh, the cancerous power of lies. Shame and blame, deceit and manipulation, fear and control—such lies serve as the nucleus of a life lived outside of God’s plan.

I can’t help but wonder how many of us are doing the same thing as Eve? Cowering to fear, falling for the same sort of lies that tripped her.

Here’s the thing: God’s not holding out on us—his plan is good. But we’ve got to learn to trust him {really trust him} before we can fully believe that. I don’t discount this trust is hard when you’ve been hurt—I know the feeling oh too well. But there’s one thing we can do: we can start by dropping those “life-is-just-fine, thanks-for-asking” masks we might be tempted to wear. Yep, we can drop those happy-face masks we tend to hide behind and start confronting those people-pleasing, approval-addicting lies when they strike.

It’s funny, how masks were originally associated with freedom–the very thing we’re chasing. Masquerade balls date to medieval times where royal families and upper class laced their evenings in glamorous drama. Anonymously hidden behind these elaborate masks, royalty found a way to escape the strict etiquette normally required.

But today’s masks carry no such freedom, only a crippling pretense that divorces us from our innermost truth. Convinced we must behave a certain way to get our needs met, we stand with a closet full of ready-to-wear painted disguises that mask our true emotions.

Oh how elaborately we dance, pretending to be anyone but ourselves as we spin alongside others we think we know but really don’t.

Unfortunately when the masks come off, life hasn’t changed. The masquerade may have filled a temporary void but it cannot hide the deeper issue: our voice, our true identity, remains buried beneath the lies.

I fear if we wear these masks too long, we may someday forget to take them off.

In order to live out God’s best for our lives, we must reclaim truth in our innermost being. We have to drench ourselves with the truth of God’s Word, and let that truth sort through fact and feeling so that we will be better equipped to refuse these lies that tempt us.

Deeper Still: Can you remember a moment when masking the truth seemed to help you cope? What would it take for you to lay your masks down? What is one specific action you can take this week to move away from any lies that make you feel you have to look, be, or act a certain way?