The Great Deception: You’re All Alone

The enemy lies. It’s his native tongue. He tells you:

You’re not good enough, smart enough, handsome/pretty enough, strong enough, successful enough, schooled enough, rich enough, thin/THICC enough, fashionable/trendy enough, godly enough, passionate enough, sexy enough, masculine/feminine enough.

I am not what _____ wants. I don’t fit the mold.

Dear Friend, I’m writing this today to tell you that if you have ever felt like this,

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

paola-chaaya-151131 — *Do you feel all alone? You’re not. (Photo Credit :Paola Chaaya)*

Others feel as you do. And while it may look as though everyone else around has their junk together, I’m here to lovingly dispel that lie, too.

THEY DON’T.

Your friends and acquaintances at school/work/gym/church that are studying/partying/getting ahead/have the ideal body/seem more holy and perfect than you have a whole set of issues and things that you just don’t know about when you see their public persona.

A Personal Narrative

There’s all sorts of bananas going on in my brain on any day of the week. Here’s a theoretical image of what it might look like tomorrow.

Imagine you are Little Alice going down the rabbit hole. You find yourself in Wonderland and everything is upside down and backwards. Giant caterpillars are smoking hookas; The Mad Hatter is having tea. You are in an alternate universe of the mind. Having scooted the Ancient of Days off the throne, the Queen of Hearts steps up to take her place to rule the land (ahem, that would be ME) and she can be an awful, ruthless, graceless tyrant who is fearful of losing control. Her fears of abandonment, rejection, and not being enough for others crushes people and her confidence. She keeps all friendship at a distance which isolates her and feeds into the abandonment and rejection lie. She is all alone.

The cycle is a sick one.

Sadly, her house of cards is ready to fall with just a little shake. Just when she thinks she is managing the “crazy” of Wonderland all so well, she falls down deeper into another worm hole unless she grabs the hand of the One who can save her.

This is when I have to step off the dais, walk down the stairs from the throne, and ask for forgiveness for my selfishness and self-centeredness. It’s not all about me. It’s about Him.

We all have a Wonderland. What’s yours look like?

When we meet people at the game or getting the oil changed or at church, it may appear they’ve got it going ON. If only we had the gift of telepathy, we would know better; we could see into their version of Wonderland, too. We could see their fears. We could see that not everything is what it’s cracked up to be.

Jesus feels us, Friends, in our rejection and hurts, and He understands all our fears. It’s why He came to save us from ourselves and our circumstances.

His promises are full and our joy in Him is complete. Can you imagine joy to the fullest? He is the “yes” and the “Amen.” He fills us full to the brim with the fruit of the Spirit; receive Him fully and be fully received!

On a Side Note: If you cannot imagine any semblance of joy and if hope is not anywhere on your radar, before you consider permanent solutions to temporary issues, please reach out to your pastors, a godly friend, parents, teachers, your boss or coworker, or seek counseling to pull you out of Wonderland. Then you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free. (John 8:32)

And when you have been rejected, know that He, too, was rejected and understands your pain. When you feel like you’re “not enough”, know that the people around Jesus said the same thing about Him…it’s why they crucified our King and Messiah.

“He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” (Isaiah 53:3, NIV)