Originally published Tuesday, 16 October 2012.
Welcome to Day 2 of Stress Points to Life Points!
Day 2 Stress Point Self Image: How To Be Real and Raw
One of my life mantras these days is: Be Real, Be Raw and Be Relevant. This means that, with out spilling the beans on every single detail of my life, I am real and raw about what’s truly going on. All too often we put on a facade that life is great because we don’t want others to judge or look down on us when we life really isn’t that peachy. There is something to be said for being real and feeling free to express our true feelings and the challenges we deal with. All of these life happenings that we are tempted to hide really serve as building blocks to godly character when we allow them to grow and stretch us.
Whenever I allow my focus to stay inward and I dwell on how bad I think my life is, I’m tempted to say, “I am absolutely the only person on the face of the earth dealing with ...” This bleeds into my self image as I spend too much time beating myself up for my mistakes or even my sin. One of the biggest blessings of living and being real and raw is that my focus turns outward. Just by voicing the junk I’m dealing with brings new light into that pit that I dug myself into.
Truth Point: If we walk step by step in the light, where the Father is, then we are ultimately connected to each other through the sacrifice of Jesus His Son. His blood purifies us from all our sins. (1 John 1:7 THE VOICE)
Who wouldn’t want to walk step by step in the light of Jesus? This light is infectious. As we spread His light and love, we get outside of ourselves, our inward focus and the dark pit of self pity. What kind of impact can you make by living in the glorious light of Jesus by being real and raw?
From my book Stress Point: Thriving Through Your Twenties In A Decade Of Drama
Through scenario after scenario in our everyday life, what others think of us—or don’t think of us—bombards our tender hearts. Our focus often remains on portraying ourselves in the way we want the world to see us, and we make that desired perception our truth. This self-focus is consuming and unproductive because we were not made to focus inward.
Katy Perry’s song “Firework” makes my heart smile with its playful beat and uplifting lyrics. The song encourages us to let our personality sparkle and boom while realizing our full potential as a unique human being. The song beats along, reminding us to light our spark to let the whole world see us shine. You should see me jammin’ out in my car to this funky pop song. But there is something missing. As I dig into the message behind the message, this song reflects that aspect of self-focus we’ve discussed in this chapter while leaving out the One who gives us our spark.
When we rely on our self rather than focusing on Jesus, insecurities, doubts, and fears threaten the self-made spark that “Firework” talks about. A self-made spark and image is flimsy. It is only when we allow His spark to ignite our true God-given image and personality that we show the world around us our true, authentic selves. It is our raw God-given authenticity that will never fail to attract others. {Stress Point page 46-47}
Life Point: Take some time to write out some life “stuff” that is stressing you out these days. Pick just one of them and tell a friend about them. I mean...really tell a friend. Don’t gloss it over but share your heart. Ask that friend what she is dealing with. Then agree to pray for each other over the following week. How did if feel relating your life stuff with that friend? Did it feel good to get real and raw? Did it take some pressure off and make you feel like you are the only one dealing with “stuff?”
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