Can we get real for a minute? We live in a world where anyone can be an actor, and it’s getting more difficult to tell what’s real, and what has been staged.
Shakespeare was referring to the drama of our ordinary life and the brevity of human existence, inviting us to reflect on the stages of our own lives, and to put our passions and ourselves, in perspective.
Drama could include the good and the bad, the things we get excited for and the things we worry over. These things can feel very real to us, whether or not they come to fruition. What if we are attaching meaning to things that turn out to be false or unimportant? All that emotion and effort poured out like an offering to idols, which only eventually disappoint us.
This self-worship will also eventually disappoint us.
Constantly worrying about our own images, or trying to control the way others perceive us is an exhausting act of narcissism, for the narcissist and for those around them (us). Before the final curtain, I hope you find that you don’t need a mask.
Taking off the mask takes courage, as we strive for authenticity. We need to show up as our real selves, and that will give us proper perspective, and humility. I’m not saying don’t make an effort to clean up our act, but we don’t have to put on a show. Better to be liked or not for who you are, than to role play a version of yourself that you don’t even like. Fake interactions only reinforce self-loathing and isolation. I know it’s sometimes scary to show up as less than perfect…we are all messy humans, with messy lives.
So how do we do it?
Start by getting real with God. God sees us, flaws and all, and loves us anyway.
The World Is Not a Stage
6 “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.
2-4 “When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
Pray with Simplicity
5 “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for fifteen minutes of fame! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
6 “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
16-18 “When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.
