Five Minute Friday: REAL

Every Thursday a one-word prompt will be announced here on my blog at 10pm EST (and continuing through Friday).

Those who’d like to participate in Five Minute Friday will write for five minutes on the topic of the week, post it on their own blog and link up the post here.

GO

Well there's a scary word.  REAL.  Who actually knows the "real" me?  And is our internet obsession and online presence ever truly real?

Facebook friendly: with makeup and hair done

I liked walls.  I liked to keep people at a distance.  I wanted them to see a version of myself, not the "real" me, and I was afraid of anyone getting too close and seeing behind the walls.  I found that sarcasm is a great wall-builder.  So is humor.  And lies.  And just plain being mean.  I worked hard to build my walls, and I thought of myself as dwelling in some fabulous castle behind my fortifications.

But then God showed up in my life.  He made His presence known.  And one very important thing to know about God is that he is a wall-destroyer.  Just look at the Battle of Jericho in the book of Joshua.  Those people did absolutely nothing but walk around for a week and play some music.  God is the one who made the walls fall down.  And He did the same for me.

Making silly faces with the boys

My choice would have been to open a door and let some people in.  Or to step outside the walls from time to time, but leaving them standing so I could retreat if necessary.  But God's plan for me (and His plan for you) is to demolish the walls, to leave nothing between me and Him, nothing between me and the people I'm meant to know and love.  Without walls, they can get to know the real me, and maybe they will love me when they know the real me.

STOP