As Mia walked into the bathroom a few days ago for her nightly routine, I noticed something was going on with my child. Her demeanor was off. My baby’s bubbly personality was a little “blah”. No running around, playing, singing, or dancing. Just blah! After a closer glance, I noticed she was walking a little funny. Actually, she was limping. Her left foot was super swollen and a couple blisters made themselves at home on her ankle.
Immediately a list of worst-case scenarios ran through my mind. After retracing her steps, I found myself trying to diagnose her. I finally landed on figuring it was an ant bite from the contact she had with an ant bed in our backyard. So I handed out doses of Benadryl and Motrin, followed by cold compress therapy.
But a couple days later more blisters popped up causing my heart to immediately sink. So off to the doctor we went.
Not only am I thinking about the true diagnosis but the birthday pool party she had the next day. All kinds of thoughts ravaged my head starting with:
- How were others going to look at Mia once they saw her foot?
- Would people stare at her blisters?
- How am I going to cover this ailment up to protect Mia?
All of my thoughts stemmed around the judgment of others.
But in true kid-fashion, Mia didn’t have a care in the world. She wasn’t thinking about being judged but rather being in the spotlight! She was ready to broadcast to the world her “boo boo.” Meanwhile, I’m trying to cover it up.
Turns out Mia had come in contact with poison oak which caused the reaction. The doctor wrote her a prescription for some cream and within days her rash began to clear up.
After going through this, I felt God saying, “If only the world had her approach.” Completely stumped, it took me a few minutes to decipher what He was getting at. But eventually, I realized He was speaking to how we as adults are afraid to broadcast who we really are. We fear the judgment of others. We try to self-diagnose, self-medicate, and cover up our own blemishes instead of reaching out to the one who can provide true healing.
Going through my own life experiences, I’ve discovered that true healing is always orchestrated through God. We just have to keep our eyes open and be willing to participate in it. We can’t continue to hide behind what we think the world wants to see. But instead, we need to show the world what it needs to see…authenticity.
By being real in every aspect of our lives, we’re not only opening up ourselves to receive healing, but also to provide it. God can use you and every blemish you try to cover-up if you let Him. You’ll be amazed at the impact you’ll have if you simply are willing to be open and transparent.
This week, remove whatever you’ve been trying to cover up. Don’t worry about the judgment of others. They’re ready to see, and they need to see the real you. You won’t regret it when you do it.
Heroic Inspirations 