Recover The Treasure
Masks. We all wear them. The outer shell of wounds and lies that we learned a long time ago: you are not good enough, the world is not safe, you are not important...Hide! Withdraw! Protect!
What would it be like if my soul felt safe enough to come out? Would I feel less worried, anxious, fake? If I was to operate in wholeness, what would it release in others? Author Parker J. Palmer writes, "The people around me pay a price as well, for now they walk on ground made unstable by my dividedness. How can I affirm another's identity when I deny my own? How can I trust another's integrity when I defy my own?".* We are a connected people, and my actions always have ripple effects on others.
It takes courage to heal: to dig deep, uncover the lies, and recover the treasure. It takes courage to put your true self out there. But, the clearer I can become about my true identity, and the braver I am to operate in it, the more light I can release into the world. The world needs me, the real me, and it needs your light too.
*Quote from A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward An Undivided Life by Parker J Palmer
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16 MSG