Dance Friends - Dance

I just saw this while scrolling through my FB feed.  I don't like Halloween but I love this image.  It really made me stop and ponder for a minute.

We all have skeletons in our closet, don't we?  Those things that we don't want anyone to know because *gasp* they might think we are human.

There are so many verses in the Bible about shame - and even better, SO many about freedom.  Friends, shame is not from God.  Your past was bought and paid for on the cross.  Jesus did not die so that we could continue walking around with our heads down.  Ephesians 5:13 says, "But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible."   

Once you are His child - you are FREE.  John also tells us that "those whom the Son sets free are free indeed."  

So many things that we keep shoved in our closet, terrified someone may find out are things that in fact can bring so much healing to others.  I never want to be the person that someone views as having it all together.  Those who truly know me are laughing, but FB and other social media outlets can make it seem that life is quite a bit different than it really is.  Or a better way to describe it would be that you simply can't show your entire life to your FB audience.  I try really hard to be "real" but still, what I am showing to the world is a small portion of our life.  A tiny portion.  I don't grab the video camera when my five year old is "planking" (and not for exercise) when he doesn't want to do something and it takes every ounce of my strength to remove him from the car or the couch.  How the heck do they get that strong??

I certainly don't record myself having a pity party or a hissy fit (I am from the south y'all) when things don't go my way.  Not really because I am not willing to admit it - I am pretty much an open book - but because I am definitely not willing to show it in living color for the world to see.

But, how many people would be encouraged if we were to stop hiding.  Stop shaming.  Stop trying to pretend everything is ok.  Stop setting us "mommy wars" about things that are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.  What if we all decided to pat each other on the back a little more often and let our body language as well as our words say "I see you."  "You are doing a good job."  "It's ok to be exhausted and cranky and yelling at your kids sometimes will.not.kill.them."   Believe me, I am working on child number six - and they are all still with us.

So, dear friends - give yourself a break.  It is entirely too much pressure to hide.  You were created to live free.  LIVE it.  God has given us the power and authority to tell the enemy to TAKE A HIKE.  If you are a child of God then hiding and feeling ashamed and less than - that is from the enemy.  Take that skeleton OUT of your closet and EXPOSE it to the Light - it loses ALL of its power that way.

In this life you were made to DANCE.