Exposed!!

Facebook, can be much like a blog. I have a blog that I don't write on anymore but I used to share some thoughts that I had swirling around in my head. I have had that opportunity with Facebook too. I have also been able to talk and comment to others in a semi-anonymous way. I say, "Semi-anonymous" because much of the discourse that I have shared with others is often things I would find difficult to formulate and discuss in person. Cyberspace seems to have a little "safety net" of sorts. You can be the person perhaps you have not had to courage to be with someone face to face. That can be a good thing in many ways. You can share your inner most thoughts online that give you the avenue to vent feelings and frustrations without feeling totally exposed. This can be healthy, but it can also be confrontational. Once you press "send" in an email or "enter" in a submission, it is done. Tone of voice or explanation of points is only assumed and it can be taken in a negative way depending on the reader's present state of mind or emotion.
There are sometimes things that a person would love to share with the world but don't want to feel that exposed. It is like presenting yourself emotionally naked to the world. I can come to church meeting people on a Sunday with my smile intact and I could be screaming in severe emotional pain on the inside. Feeling lonely and so alone in a room crowded with people. We never know the pain people feel on the inside by looking at the outside (unless you are Judy Heidt!!..she knows by your eyes!) What may appear as physical and emotional perfection could effectively be well constructed walls developed over years of pain and rejection. I'm not saying that we have to open ourselves up for the world to peer in at our wounds, but perhaps if we allow some people into our lives and see the real person inside, the loneliness would be less intense.
This is a journey I am on personally. People may think I am a pretty open book, which may be true to a certain extent, but I know I have walls. I hesitate to share the "real me" with others because of my own fear of rejection. It is safe to have walls, I have felt protected, but I believe the Lord wants us to bear one another's burdens. To develop trust we need to begin to share. It's not about airing your dirty laundry but it is about developing relationships in the family of God. A family is about relationships and they only happen when we learn to bear those burdens for our brothers and sisters in the Lord.