The Masquerade

Many times when I speak to women, I say that women are sometimes still that 7th grade girl inside who just wants to fit-in and be accepted. Let’s face it, most women are pleasers and desperately want to connect in some way with other women.

Recently I was doing a little mother-daughter Bible study time with my daughter (who, by the way, is now a 7th grader). We were talking about the temptation for young girls to masquerade as someone else in order to fit-in and be liked. She confessed to me that even she has been guilty of putting on a mask (Gasp! Shocker! ). She described times where she has been with a group of older girls that are talking about “such-and-such” TV show, or some popular singer that they like, and although she has never seen it, or heard of it, she pretends to know what they are talking about so she can be a part of the group and seem cool like them.

Sounds familiar, right? Haven’t we all been there at some point? We put on our mask, our “public persona” and go through life pretending that we have it all together, that we are little happier, a little cooler, than we actually are. The reason 7th graders do this is the same reason we might do it as grown women: because we are afraid of rejection. We are afraid that if people know who we really are, if people know the truth of our situation, or know that we aren’t quite as “with-it” as we pretend to be, they won’t like us. The truth is: if a girl goes through life masquerading as someone else, then she will be left feeling empty and unaccepted anyway because no one has gotten to know the real person and therefore doesn’t really accept and love her for who she really is.

It’s important that we talk frankly about this stuff with our daughters. It’s also important that we be frank with ourselves. If you are masquerading, ask yourself why. When we find our identity in Christ, and trust His plan for our life, then we are free to be real. We are free to be transparent with our struggles, our weaknesses, and just free to love ourselves enough to risk rejection, but also risk being loved for whom we really are.

That’s one of the purposes of Legacy Moms. Motherhood can be both rewarding and challenging for many women and moms need a place to be open,real, and loved for who they are. Women also need other women in their life that love them enough to speak the truth to them, even when it challenges them, or to give them encouragement through a rough time, so that they can reach their full, God-given potential as mothers, wives, and friends. So whether you are still wearing your fancy party-mask, or if you haven’t worn a stitch of make-up since your last child was born- will you join us? We need each other! Another great year of Legacy Moms events starts the last Monday in September.

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” `Proverbs 27:17

Blessings,

Kym