It's a Masquerade

I don't know if you have ever read Chesterton's "The Man Who Was Thursday" (also known as The Nightmare), but one of the biggest themes in it, was a portrayal of how nothing is as it seems. It was quite the intriguing read, I'll give it that much. Ok, I'll admit it. It was good. It's one of those books you can read a billion times, catch another theme you didn't notice the first time around; and still not fully understand it. I really like his writing though, he's a poetic type of guy. I don't know how else to describe his writing other then: It's not a head-on type of philosophical poetic type of writing. He comes at it from an angle. He's so incredibly heady it's almost as if he's laughing at you, like a fat man laughs at a skinny man because he can't eat as much, as he watches you scratch your head in confuzzlement. [A note to the readers: Confuzzled is my new favorite word. Put puzzled and Confused together and get, confuzzled. It is now going to be used frequently in blog posts-just warning you.] To Chesterton, we probably look like monkeys-not the evolved ones that is. ;P

Sometimes I felt like he was rambling on and on, philosophy his game, poetry his language in it's highest form of nonsenses and circular reasoning. But if I had just 1/4 of his brain, I'd probably see that it ISN'T circular reasoning and nonsense; but a very high form of symbolism, in it's thickest allegoric accent.

I did have a point though..:D I just got distracted..:P

It's the same issue that I have always wrestled with. I have really good friends and then all of a sudden something goes wrong, and those friends change. I'm talking about a slight change at first in their character. And then the change speeds up, and it's just to the point where my eyes are open, and I'm left gasping at the fact that they weren't who they had *posed* to be. It's like a masquerade. You know all the people in the ballroom, but everyone is dressed up, and wearing masks, you are left to guess who is who. It's like thinking someone is one person, and then they pull off the mask..and you're left disappointed because you SHOULD HAVE KNOWN who they really were.

Life seems like a masquerade, in this way, in more ways then one but specifically this way for me right now. I don't know why but at some point we're good friends, able to talk not only on the shallow "crazy" conversations, but we are able to be open with each other about our spiritual walk.

It's like if you picture two people walking on the same path, until a fork comes in the road. Your friend leaves you. You are left to continue walking down the same path you have been. It really hurts at first. But, knowing that you are always going to be the same, always running to Christ, always trying to uphold God's standards even if the world thinks you're stupid, then you'll be OK.

This has been a struggle, a reoccurring issue for me. The first couple of times it happened I was pretty broken. You have to put yourself in my shoes: Best friends for a LONG time, and then all at once they let you down, they leave you hanging, they no longer care about running towards Christ with you.

The other few times I have been FRUSTRATED. Why? How can I go from brokenness to frustration? Why the change in reaction?

THIS is where my frustration lies: I am so sick and tired of having people say they are for something let's just say: MODESTY. And they tell you FROM THE START of your friendship WHAT their standards on modesty are. And for a while you're like wow, they do a great job of sticking with that standard. They reflect Christ when doing this. You admire them for it. Somehow, all of a sudden you notice a slight change in their attitude, in their presentation of dressing, it seems like they no longer are following this conviction they had of modesty....what the he**?

My frustration in these friendship let downs, isn't that they let ME down-not any more. I have learned that friends will come and go. I have learned that no matter what my sister, my family altogether, my parents, God, will be my bff's. Anyways the frustration then, is aimed that the HYPOCRISY.

WHY DO WE AS CHRISTIANS, WHO SAY WE ARE FOR THIS, WE HAVE A CONVICTION TO REPRESENT CHRIST IN THIS SUCH WAY, AND THEN!!! AND THEN WE DO NOT FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IT! Or we do, but then we get tired of it, so instead of HANGING ON AND CONTINUING TO WRESTLE WITH GOD (like we talked about in my post: On rambling) WE GIVE UP.

You aren't a Christian, you are NOT in the disciple category (if you're intrigued because you haven't read my: On rambling post, then do so. Click "Here" to read it.). A Christian doesn't GIVE UP because THEY'RE TIRED. OBVIOUSLY we are going to sin, and sometimes we tend to wallow in it before coming back to Christ. Ah! There's the key! The key is we know that this is going to happen. That isn't "giving up" that's called hey everyone is born under the curse of Adam...I'm a wretched sinner who isn't perfect, but thank God that Christ already lived the perfect life! As long as you continue to cling to Christ through you pain, through your confuzzled meant, through your doubts, through the temptations the world brings, through your FATIGUE, through your WEARINESS, through your SIN, through your SORROW, through your joy, through your TRIALS, through your LIFE then you know that you ARE truly a Christian.

But if you're tired of clinging to Christ and you are having thoughts of letting go, you better be asking for a lot of prayer.

What happens when you get OFF FOCUS-EVEN for a short period of time? SIN, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin andddd more sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, ANNNND, morrrrreeeeeeeeeeee sinnnnn! Our consciences become DULL and we become DEF to hearing them, when we are focused on the things of the world.

The world will bring you PLEASURE not joy. The world will bring you "happiness" as they PROMISE, but in the form of shallow, not even scratch-the surface kind of "happiness". The kind of PLEASURE it brings is the kind that they promise if you do what everyone else is doing: Sex beginning at a young age (they teach this stuff to kids in school! I can't believe it!), drugs, drinking to get "buzzed" or even fully drunk, partying all night, and all kinds of form of "pleasure".

It's like this: Sin brings us pleasure, but for the few minutes of doing it, until we realize the consequences for our sin, until we realize what we just did was WRONG, until we realize we have to go back to Christ..and confess, until we are sitting in the presence of the Holy..only then do we realize that we didn't just experience joy. Pleasure lasts for a short moment.

SO to give UP completely is dangerous. Or even starting out slow-you don't understand-this is THE WORLD you'll be facing not even facing you'll be "hanging out with", being around, doing the things it does, and then you have to face your self at the end of the day, and God at the end of the world.

I'm disappointed in this generation of teenagers. I'm SICK of these false convictions, fake presentations of selves, of pretending, of attending this masquerade.

I DON'T understand how someone who comes from a Christian family can look at the world so hungrily. I don't understand how someone who comes from a Christian family can long so earnestly, wait so patiently, for ONE temptation to come their way. One opportunity to getting what they so deeply desire...which is what? A moment of pleasure..?

If that is the case. If you desire ONE moment of pleasure whether it be: Sleeping with someone, having a bf/gf (yes it is a sin because you are STILL defiling marriage which is a HOLY thing set apart from God from the beginning in Genesis when he told Adam and Eve to go out and multiply and how He explained the two shall become ONE flesh. having a bf/gf is defiling that holy thing because you are doing things that only a married couple that are one flesh, do. even if you're only kissing or holding hands..you're in the wrong.), drinking underage, partying and doing all the wicked things at the party, drugs, WHATEVER it is that's a sin that will bring you pleasure...


You're looking for THAT, seeking THAT, then you have NEVER TRULY experienced a SOUL-DEEP JOY FROM CHRIST THAT ONLY HE CAN GIVE YOU. You've never experienced a joy that comes from resting in Him. You've never experienced being utterly BROKEN and then all at once being mended by Him. You've never experienced the joy of suffering in Him as Paul the appostle so greatly did, and all the appostles. (Excepting Judas)

THEN I think I CAN understand you..still only from a very mild aspect because I still don't get why you desire THOSE things. And not the things Christ upholds. I guess that's where the parents would come in, they aren't doing a good job, or a good enough job.

All this to say I'm so freakin frustrated that people just go hay-wire! WE CAN'T give up. God promised it wouldn't be easy! He came to take away your sins, not your pain. He will however NEVER leave you.

Where are the godly teenagers that represent Christ 100%!? I'm not asking you to be perfect! I'm asking you to not let go, to keep wrestling with our God, keep fighting the good fight, keep your chin up so your eyes are ALWAYS on Him!

Us Christians are leaving Christ's mark on this world by how we GLORIFY Him. If you want to know if we are 100% striving to do that, then go ask the people around you, go ask your neighborhood friends/kids, go ask the elders of your church, go ask your parents, go ask our sibilings, go ask EVERYONE you possibly know-and ask them if they think you are glorifying God to the best of your abilities. If not, then ask them where your weaknesses are in this matter. And when you ask the people that are not Christians that see you sometimes, that are in your life, ask them if there's anything different about you compared to everyone else..and give them an example like: an attitude change or something. If they don't notice anything different then you know you REALLY need to talk with your parents, the pastor and elders of your church, ask them to pray for you and ask them how you as a part of the body of Christ, a worker in His kingdom, can better glorify God in ways that the world will notice. In ways that will be encouraging to other peers, and even to the adults!

Guarantee you that their mouths will drop...:D


~Elisabeth Darcy

Ps. Pray for me that I will glorify Christ in ways that my surroundings will notice CHRIST in me--not me, I, or myself. :D