Psalms 51:6 “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being…”
Hiding Well
We all have mechanisms or customs in our cultures to help us hide our true selves. No matter what country you might live in, this is a truth that is found around the world.
- Appearance – Some hide themselves through appearance, whether it be makeup; false tan; or maybe any on-trend styling of hair or body.
- Education – Education sometimes is a high value in a culture. Therefore, a loaded resumé with a variety of initials following your name or possible educational writing submissions could provide a needed cover from society’s spotlight.
- Social Media – Social Media has become an easy place to hide your true self. You can portray any persona you would like on various platforms and so, hide behind the curtain of reality.
When we arrived in France, I immediately was captivated by the ability of people to make any food plate look absolutely delicious! As many “foodies” have well said, “We eat with our eyes first,” and I was enthralled by the idea that by taking just a little more time with the presentation I could, in fact, make that plate of food look even more tempting.
- Presentation – Presentation is a high value in the French culture, whether it be on the dinner table or even in the area of fashion. French styling tips, specifically for women, have been highly sought after and emulated for generations. Those elusive tips have been something this country-bred woman has been trying to define and figure out for nearly two decades!
When the Unexpected Happens
When my husband and I started this journey of “overseas” pastoral ministry close to twenty years ago, we were a married couple just entering our 40’s with school age children in tow. We had plans of doing ministry for a certain designated period of time and then exiting to return home to help our children transition through university. We saw the ministry ahead with eyes that focused on the external – accomplishing a goal that was definable and trackable.
With tear-stained eyes, we boarded that plane in Philly, yet our hearts were spit-shined and ready for anything.
Tumbled in the Waves
Like so many around the world however, throughout the years we have been tumbled around quite a bit in those waves of life. Sometimes, it has even been hard to truly know what end is up and have found ourselves fervently gasping for breath just to survive.
Yet, through it all God has been So Faithful and gentle with His hand of guidance and care. Our faith has been building in the knowledge that He knows what He is doing!
Colors found in the Sand
The Lord placed us in a thriving and growing city in the south of France. And because of His hand, we currently have the ability to enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea.
One of my most favorite things to do on the beach is to walk the coastline in search of sea glass. I have a large glass jar displaying the beautiful colors that the sea has freely given to me.
Our family had a good laugh when we visited the restaurant “Cracker Barrel” on one of our home visits and found in its storefront a book exclusively highlighting the collection of sea glass. My family was so tempted to buy it for me, saying that I certainly could have contributed to the book. However, I was just encouraged that there were other people in the world who find joy in these simple free treasures!
Beauty Found in the Storm
Throughout the years, I have come, in some small weird way, to relate to the analogy of these broken pieces of colored glass that I so love to collect.
Just like the veneered masks that our cultures offer us, so often in our christian lives we think that God desires for us to be spit-shined and sparkly in order to represent Him well in this world around us. As Christians, we prop ourselves up with various mechanisms to make us look “put together” in relation to our culture’s standards, whether that be by:
- developing great delivery skills to attract an audience or have a voice in the midst of the cacophony of voices;
- being well-read on the latest trends in christianity and therefore, coming to the table with strategies that turn heads;
- or possibly, just having the ability to gravitate people to your personality.
The list is endless. We have become really good at truly hiding our real selves, behind our fabricated masks.
But, may I suggest that what I feel truly represents Christ well to the watching world?
Representing God Well is
A life that humbly submits to being tossed in the violent waves of life,
all the while confidently clinging to their belief in their Master who controls those waves
It is in the process of allowing the tossing waves of life to chip away at those areas of ourselves that need smoothing out by a Heavenly hand where the beauty of the gospel is clearly seen.
Smooth and Colorful
Have you ever handled a piece of storm tossed sea glass? It is contrived from a broken piece of glass that has been endlessly tossed by the waves and eventually comes to dot the coastline.
With these small pieces of glass, there are actually no severe edges on which to cut yourself. Instead, those edges are smooth, like a really wonderful skipping stone.
The thrill that a sea glass collector enjoys is finding all different types of colors and sizes to fill their collection. The glass container becomes a work of art as the sea glass colors display a cohesive beauty.
The Church – A Kaleidoscope of Cohesive Beauty
The Church could be characterized like a jar of sea glass to the watching world.
- People from all around the world, tossed in the “sea of life.”
- Ones who have humbly chosen to shed the veneer of the flesh.
- Allowing their Maker and Redeemer to gracefully break them and to smooth the rough edges of their spiritual lives
- Producing in them works of art which do not need to be externally “shined” up in order to represent Christ well. But instead it is the humble transparency of a broken, and contrite heart that the Lord hears.
A Sin-Drenched People Kneeling Before the Same Cross
What an upside down picture to a watching world?
That, in fact, as we pull back the layers of falsehood, we expose to the world the reality that we are all just sin-drenched people kneeling before the same cross in need of a Savior.
Whether we be from the tips of South Africa to the beautifully stark landscape of Iceland – from the southern islands of the Pacific to the barrenness of western Alaska, we all come with the same need. Broken, storm-tossed, and yet we are invited to peacefully cling to one truth as our anchor – Our God is real and He has come to save. This is the Hope of the Gospel.
May we as the global Church be willing to pull off our fabricated masks and humbly expose the God-given beauty of a people, who have been broken by a good and Heavenly hand and stand together as a stunning picture of a kaleidoscope of cohesive beauty to a watching world.
