Stained Glass Masquerade. We dress up. We smile. We say we are ‘fine’. We make small talk. We make no mention of the pain inside. No hint of the feelings for failure. We have the perfect life after all. We live in America. We have all the food and clothes we want at our fingertips. We live in nice homes that are heated and cooled to our liking. Why should we ever have a bad day or anything going wrong?
So we line up in the pews and praise the Lord for all the great things He has done for us and all He has given us. And we smile at those beside us and assume that everything is fine for them too. Then after a couple of hours we file out, wave smartly to all our friends and drive home to our ‘real’ lives for the rest of the week.
Praising God is something we can do even through the hard times, through the pain, through the heartaches we face. I don’t want anyone to think we shouldn’t praise God in all things. But sometimes it’s hard and sometimes we need to cry and scream and wail instead of standing and singing and dancing. Sometimes we need to beat our fists on the bench instead of waving our hands high. Sometimes we just need to know it’s ok to not be happy and joyful when our hearts are breaking or we are dealing with a hard situation.
So to those of you who feel this way, have felt this way in the past or may have a path of sorrow ahead that you can’t see yet, please know it’s ok to cry, ask why, withdraw from the stained glass hall, give up the masquerade! Reach out to a friend, a pastor, a neighbor. Send me an email if you have no one you feel you can turn to – I will share your burden and say a prayer. God loves you and He will get your through anything. Getting your through often involves using His followers to come along side you and give you someone to lean on to bring your through to the other side where you can laugh and smile and sing again.
Stained Glass Masquerade – Casting Crowns
This song has been a favorite of mine for a long time.
Have a blessed Sunday
Jill
You are a blessing Jill…thank you for your generosity. Cheryl Ann
Thanks so much Cheryl Ann
You are right, Jill. There are a lot of hurting people & sometimes if we just listen to them or tell them you will pray for them it helps to ease their burden(s). People are in a hurry today & don’t take the time to listen. BTW I heard “Casting Crowns” sing “I am Yours, Lord” on another blog this morning. It would seem this is a popular group. Blessings to you & your family.
Casting Crowns is about my fav. Their lyrics are always so right-on and heartfelt and I love their voices and music too.
What a beautiful message. Thank you for sharing that. I have been overwhelmed lately with life’s stresses- parents in nursing home, daughter divorcing, dear friends moving away and my recently college graduate grandson trying to find a job. I know my life is so much easier than many, but sometimes these things get me down. I have much to be thankful for but can ‘t always find that ray of sunshine.
Prayers for you and your family Nancy. Just because we can almost always find those who are in worse circumstances than we are doesn’t make our trials and sorrows go away! we still have to deal with them and walk through them to find the sunshine again!
Thank you for sharing that beautiful message. It is funny how someones life can seem so perfect but yet until you talk to them it’s not. To many my life is perfect. I have a wonderful caring husband two amazingly awesome boys and a job that I love plus we have everything we need and then some. The one thing that weighs heavy on my heart is the relationship I have with my mother. I keep praying and I know God will see me through this but sometimes it is hard. Thank you for the reminder that it is okay to be unhappy even though it seems everything is perfect. Many blessings to you and you family.
blessings to you and your family too Michelle – counting our blessings is a great thing and I do like to stay focused on all that is going right but sometimes the reality that life is hard takes over and we need to cry a bit!
Sounds like all is not perfect in blog land. I have noticed a tendency to positive attitudes and that’s a wonderful thing. I figured it’s something they tell bloggers at the conferences, be positive and uplifting and believe it or not it has made me think about something in a better light than I had been. Some times when I read all the glowing posts I wonder if I’m the one that’s wrong and wants too much. I’m not happy that folks that left above comments are not jumping up and down for joy, but have to admit I feel like gee I’m not only one?
We each have our own things that bother us, might not faze somebody else. That doesn’t mean our unhappiness isn’t valid.
Every year I have a hard time around the holidays cause life isn’t what I need it to be at that time and others. I try to stay very busy and not think about what bothers me, saddens my heart.
Bless you Jill, you are indeed a good person, a good Christian. Thanks for being there for us. I hope when you need somebody to be there for you you have some one or you’ll turn to whomever makes you feel that you can. I hope that would be me as one of others. Happy Sunday Jill Hope you’ve done something to make you happy this weekend.
Thanks So much JaneEllen! We ALL have times we struggle to find the good in life – some more than others. God Bless you and comfort you during the down times – and reach out to those of us who can help!
Sometimes we do need to cry out to the Lord in a LOUD voice like David did in the Psalms…he watered his couch, he yelled, but through it all, he praised. We know that God is in control and we know the “end of the story”, but frequently we feel like Job, but through it all, he praised. I have made so many friends online who have needed a friend to pray for/with them…what a blessing it is for me to be able to bring them and their problems before the throne. We all have problems that can bring us down, even when we choose to hide that fact, so everyone can be helped with a prayer. You have given me a great idea – every blog I read, I will say a prayer for the blogger; every reply to a post that I read, I will pray for that person. God knows our needs, and prayer always helps – and I’ll be spending more time talking with my Lord! Total score! Bless you!!!
What a wonderful thing to do Susan – God Bless you!
I used to be good at hiding everything I was going through. However, when God begins working with you in that struggle and convicts you to let go of old habits, comfort zones and unhealthy coping mechanisms…it can start to feel like a vacuum inside. Yes, I know it needs to be filled with Jesus, but when your faith feels like a tiny little string connecting you to Him, instead of a strong cord…it can be a bit hard to smile and pretend you are fine. This past Sunday was prime example. Because we have such a small congregation, our relationships are very real and close. It’s ok when someone asks how your week has been and tears start rolling down your face. Arms go around and prayers are whispered. People share their own testimonies of tested faith and trials. Was everything fixed or all better? No. Was my faith boosted a bit, and my spirit encouraged? Absolutely. Drop the facade, friends…someone out there needs to see the struggle, hear the hope in your voice and see the understanding in your eyes. If all you can do is cry with them…that’s ok too. Life is hard and beautiful all at the same time. The key is being able to see the beautiful even in the hard. That beauty is seen when people come along-side and offer love.
Thanks for this post. May God bless you, Jill.