I've been a Christian for almost my entire life. I grew up going to church and attending a Christian school. I was taught to admit my struggles to God and lean on him in times of need. I was taught that it's okay to not be okay all the time because sometimes life can be hard. It's in those times of hardship that I need to really trust God. I've been told, "It's okay to not be okay" by many people both Christian and non-Christian.
One thing I find strange is that many of the Christians will not admit (at least not to me) that they are not okay. They tell me all the time to admit my hardships and be open at about the struggles that I'm facing but none of them ever do what they say. Whenever they are asked about how things are going, they simply say "I'm good" or "Everything is fine." Though I have to admit that I'm just as guilty of this as they are.
I've never understood this. Why are we so afraid to let people know that we're struggling. Do we think that because we're Christians we have to be okay all the time? When did we start believing that our lives had to be perfect and that we had to be happy all the time? It seems as if we're scared of people finding out who we really are and what we actually go through in life. We're scared that people will look at as differently We're scared of what people will think so we pretend our lives are better than they are.
Living in fear of what people will think is a lonely existence. You're so cut off from others because you can't be open and honest with them. You try very hard to make sure people see only what you want them to see. I'm hear to tell you the most important thing I've learned this year: We don't always have to be okay. It's okay to not be okay. I know it's such a cliche thing to say but it's true.Everybody struggles and yet we're so afraid to admit it. Admitting that you need someone to talk to or that you need help won't make people think less of you. If anything, people will be impressed by your courage to admit your personal struggles.
As Christians, God commands us to be fully known to one another. We're supposed to tell others of our blessings and our hardships. We're to rely on each other in good times and bad times. We can no longer pretend that we're doing better than we are. We have to be honest with ourselves and one another. In his book Recovering Redemption, Matt Chandler says it best: "To be 99 percent known is to be unknown. If you have your little 1 percent, and you're giving away 99, nobody knows you." If you're hiding just that little bit of yourself from people, they don't really know who you are.
We've got to rid ourselves of this stigma that Christians have to be okay all the time. Yes, we are blessed beyond measure but we're only human; we struggle just as much as anyone else. To get rid of the stigma, we've got to start being honest with each other about our struggles. We've stop being scared about what people will think because, honestly, they'll most likely be impressed by your courage and honesty. God commands us to be fully known, which I know is a scary idea, but I promise you that it is worth it. If we can just admit that we aren't always okay, we don't have to struggle alone.
