Three Faces

In my men's group we are going through a study called Men's Fraternity. Men's Frat is a three year study led by Robert Lewis which is excellent. Our group is midway through our third year and this morning we discussed the things in our life that are adventure busters.

One of the things Lewis shared was that leading a "double life" can rob us of our adventure. He said this is something that is so subtle and it can easily creep up on us, especially if we are Christians.

The reason this is so for Christians is that oftentimes our three faces aren't very close to one another.

He said that each of us has three faces: the public face, the private face and the personal face. The public face is what everyone knows when they see us. The private face is what a few close to us know. The personal face is who we are at our core.

As Christians, oftentimes we put on this public face that is expected of us while inside we are really a mess--our personal face is totally different...our walk isn't matching our talk.

The closer these three faces are to each other, the more healthy we are.

I just looked up the definition of "integrity" and one of the definitions I found was this: "The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness." Being whole or undivided...interesting. In other words, not having a division between our three faces = integrity.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

James 1:5-8

Oxygen Masks

I am involved in a men's group called Men's Fraternity. We meet every Friday morning at 6:00 to watch a 45 minute DVD and then break into groups for 45 minutes of discussion on how we can become the men God made us to be.

One guy this morning said that this sort of thing is very difficult for him - making time to try to be better. He said he feels guilty when it might take away from his family. I think many of us feel this same way - life just gets in the way. Spouses to spend time with and show love to; kids to hug, talk to, discipline; jobs to work; bills to pay; soccer games and practices to drive to...

When do we take time for us? We are so busy doing things for others, we get left behind.

On an airplane, one of the first things we are told is that in case of an emergency, when the oxygen masks come down, we are to put ours on first before assisting anyone else. If we were to pass out because we didn't take care of us first, we would not be able to help others.

Same as in life.

I know this sounds somewhat selfish but what I am talking about is actually very unselfish. We need to do what is necessary to be the best we can be before we can adequately help others. If we can do this, everyone wins.