Articles
Our Spiritual Facade
Many Hollywood movie sets have elaborate settings where city streets and buildings are constructed to give the appearance of real places, but the buildings are merely facades — structures that are nothing more than well-constructed false fronts that have no depth or actual usable interior. From the outside, one might never realize what is on the other side, but one step inside the door will reveal the false front for what it is, and how well done the deception was constructed. Most moviegoers would never know the buildings are not real, and most wouldn't complain if they knew, anyway, because the facades were convincing and the story line was kept intact.
While Hollywood movies might use these facades to tell a story successfully and no harm is done, the same cannot be said of the spiritual facades we have constructed. What spiritual facades? Well,…
We have probably all met someone who has gone through some extremely difficult times, but who was putting on a 'strong face' to simply deal with life because they just had to; they couldn't just stop and take the time to mentally and emotionally recover, so they just put on the 'strong face' and went out and did what they needed to do. It didn't mean they were not affected by their difficulties; it was just that they felt they had no choice but to go out and do what needed to be done, and set aside their true feelings for the time being. We see those people as 'strong' because they don't give any outward indication that it has affected them, and they just keep going in spite of those extreme difficulties. We praise them, in fact, for putting on the facade because, well, we have convinced ourselves it is 'courageous' and 'selfless' and such behavior should be emulated.
And we do emulate it, in fact. We likewise put on our 'strong face' when we face our own difficulties and we set aside our true feelings and go on with life as if we are not affected when, in reality, we are sometimes ravaged inside and our emotions completely and permanently devastated. Sometimes, we are so deeply and destructively affected, it changes our whole outlook on life itself, and changes our thinking to the point we can no longer think rationally or logically and, sometimes, we lose our capacity for love and sympathy for others.
And, yes, sometimes we face situations where we are affected spiritually and we throw up those same facades so we can convince all who see us that 'everything is all right' when, in fact, we are not. I know I have been guilty a time or two [or ten or twenty], and I would guess you have, too. We put on our 'strong face' to make everyone believe we are doing fine when the truth is, we are actually struggling and maybe even feeling like we are about ready to just throw in the towel. We hide our struggles; we don't tell anyone we seem to be losing the fight in a spiritual attack; we tell ourselves no one else would understand; we take a deep breath, put on a smile, and keep soldiering onward.
Let's just stop with the facades, shall we? The truth is — and we all know this — we all have spiritual struggles. The truth is — and we all know this — we have all failed at some point. The truth is — and we all know this — we haven't won every battle and some still haven't actually ended yet. The truth is — and we all know this — we all need help, we don't have all the answers, we don't always feel strong, we don't fully recover from some battles, we all need encouragement from our fellow soldiers in the battle, and, yes, we all will need forgiveness at some point because we did fail.
The not-so-funny thing about this bad habit of ours of putting up facades is that we don't have to — we should not — because we all know better because we've played that game many times before. We know it is just a facade; we know there is real hurt, real pain, real setbacks, real lasting damage, real shame, feelings of failure and doubt, and that unrealistic idea that no one else knows or understands us when, actually, we all know better. We hide our true self because [and maybe it is a little pride in action here] we don't want others to think of us as weak.
It's way past time to still be putting up these facades — these false fronts we put up to make everyone think we are okay or that we are strong or that we are not struggling with trials or temptations. Let's stop and think about what we all already know.
We Are Weak. As often and as hard as we try to convince others [and ourselves] that we are strong and we can do this on our own, the fact is we are weak. God's word tells us it was “when we were still without strength…Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). Christ died for us because we were weak. Jesus reminds us, “without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), and Paul admitted, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13), realizing he couldn't do it by himself. He couldn't just 'put on a strong face' and overcome temptations, endure trials, and obtain eternal life. He acknowledged he needed Christ, and so must we.
Let us also admit this so we will stop refusing help from our brethren. There is a reason God commands us to “comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak” (1 Thess. 5:14), and to restore a brother “overtaken in any trespass” (Gal. 6:1): they need our help! But, how can I help one who is weak if they refuse my help? Stop trying to "do it all yourself" and let your brethren help.
We Do Struggle. Let's face it: Life can be a little overwhelming sometimes. Some days, it is the everyday struggles of life itself but, on other days, our spiritual enemy throws those fiery darts at us and hits us on every side and with everything he's got — and we've let down our shield (cf. Eph. 6:16). There are days when we feel like the psalmist when he wrote, “the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in darkness, like those who have long been dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is distressed” (Psa. 143:3, 4). Some days, we think, “My heart is struck down like grass and has withered” (Psa. 102:4). Some days, we see the prowling lion circling us (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8). Some days, we stumble and fall in the midst of those struggles.
Then is not the time to try to fight the battles alone. Then is not the time to ignore the spiritual and emotional wounds that have been inflicted on us. Then is not the time to act like everything is okay when we are bleeding out and struggling to take a breath. Then is not the time to put on the old facade so everyone will think you're superhuman.
Because you're not. And neither am I.
Stop putting up the facade of strength when you are weak. Stop putting up the facade of perseverance when know you are about to collapse under the pressure [or already have]. Instead of a facade, start building the real thing — real strength and real endurance. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand” (Eph. 6:10, 11). Be strong in the Lord, and let your brethren help you build up that strength. Together, we can overcome every obstacle, and stand firm through every storm. —— Steven Harper
