Everywhere I look, there is some kind of fa?ade. I can find buildings with false fronts, cars with hubcaps, or people drowning in make-up. The list does not end there – clothes designed to disguise what is underneath, food masked, and behavior hiding our true motives and intent. We talk and discuss as if what we see externally is real life itself.
Facades have a valid purpose. They present our intent and ideals. They provide a covering that we can hang pretty ornaments and plants on to further dress things up. The challenge comes as one begins to believe that the sight they see on the external is the same picture all the way through.
Walking along the streets in Bangalore is a mosaic challenging the senses. False walls present a contemporary face, crowded streets carry the latest mobile fashion statements, and otherwise plain faces reflection a transformation into mythical gods. I wonder where the real scene is hiding; perhaps what I see is the final picture.
The danger comes when I begin to believe that my own fa?ade is a true reflection of what and who I am. I am not smooth and presentable at all times. I carry much within that looks ugly in the fresh light of a new day. My clothes hide a body that reflects excess miles and poor judgment.
The key question comes in what we do with this insight. Do I ignore or deal with the knowledge. If I deal with the knowledge, is the answer found in a new coat of paint or fresh approach to presenting myself? Can I control the inner view while preserving the patient?
The most important part of my reflection and yours is to do something. “Go, put on a long face, act desperate, don’t procrastinate – there’s no time to lose. Run like a deer from the hunter, fly like a bird from the trapper!” (Proverbs 6.4-5) Do not hesitate with fear. See things for the way they are; act! God will be with you at every step. He already loves the real you.
