Experiencing God's Presence #228

Experiencing God's Presence #228

You desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.

Psalm 51:6

Human beings take a face-saving, image-casting, best-foot-forward approach to relationships. We wear masks, some of them quite subtle and unintentional. Sometimes our persona is a hypocritical display, but more often it springs from an appropriate awareness that some aspects of life are personal and private. Still, in our relationships with others, we exhibit varying degrees of openness. We are rarely completely transparent.

The social patterns we have with others don’t apply to our relationship with God, but we don’t really know how to function any other way. So we continue to wear masks, albeit thinner ones; and we still clean up our image in order to express the “right” thoughts and words to Him. We forget that God knows every impulse of our brains before we even have them. He knows our suspicions and doubts, our frustrations and complaints. He sees right through us.

That’s why it’s essential to be completely honest with God. Just as we never draw close to another person when we aren’t being real—we’re aware they are relating to a false image, after all—we never draw close to God if we “dress up” spiritually in order to interact with Him. He can move us from point A to point B if we acknowledge point A. But when we feign faith, joy, maturity, a “spiritual” focus, or any other attitude, He has to undo the false self before working with the true one. He loves it when we approach Him in blunt honesty.

If you want to cultivate closeness with God, be completely transparent. Acknowledge every ugly attitude and ask Him to deal with it. Avoid rationalizing misguided behavior and own up to your actions and their true motives. God will meet you at raw and real places in your soul much more readily than in places of pretense.

Father, You know every corner of my being, so why should I hide anything? I’ll share every unappealing part of me if You’ll help me change it.