Benedict Arnold

Do you ever feel like a hypocrite (two-faced)? What people see on the outside does not match what is happening in your mind. If people knew the real you, would they still want to know you? (There is a war inside your body. You feel like a traitor because of your two different sets of morals. Very few individuals have met the authentic version of yourself.)

Could you be totally vulnerable enough with someone so they could look inside your soul to see both the good and bad? To you that may sound way to frightening to you. (It is.) You feel sick to your stomach and scared just thinking about it.

Often times a person’s inside feelings are directed by what is input into their mind through a variety of media sources. Philippians 4:8 provides a long list of things to think about that can completely transform and improve the inner person. Meditate on things that are true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious, the best, beautiful, and praiseworthy.  That doesn’t leave a lot of room for deception, evil thinking, anger, or doubt.

At various times in my life, the “inner Robert” has not always matched up with the “real-life Robert.” As I have found the few reliable friends I have felt comfortable opening up to; my burden has become much lighter. Someday, I hope to be the logical (always nice and wise) individual you read of in these blogs.

It is always important to somehow get to the “internal you.” Deal with that through counseling or some form of journaling. If someone truly loves you, chances are very little about you will shock them. (Maybe they already know it.) They will be glad you felt confident enough to open up to them with your fragile honesty. Satan is the one whispering that lie of unworthiness and self-condemnation into your head. Don’t believe it. Try being an open book to another human being. Something fabulous may result from it, or you may get burned. Either way you have gained valuable information about who you can or can’t trust. In life, it is nothing ventured; nothing gained.