The Mask Of Love

[Joshua 1:1-9]

For those who din get 2 attend the cg last nite, here's the sharing...

1. The Mask (v.2-4)

An initiation to start a relationship is promises. We'll have a mask put on, with the promises that we could fulfill in order to relate with others. This mask however, is not for us to hide our own weaknesses or "ugly" side of us.. It's just simply the initiator of a relationship. Take below for example: 

God ~ provision, forgiveness, mercy, faithful presence, unending love, etc

Parents ~ provision, love, presence, etc

Friends ~ presence, help, listening ear, etc

Love relationship ~ presence, love, care, etc

Most of us will focus at the mask (promises) tat the other person could give first. But if we just focus at the mask, it will be not enuf, because when challenges come, our opinion about that person will be shaken. At this stage, just by focusing at the mask, we're very happy, because there's no 'weaknesses' found in the promises.

But what if: We're asked to accept the one behind the mask?

(i) God Who's always faithful in reminding us what to do and what NOT to do. With this kind of "life intrusion", are you willing to accept God as He is? 

(ii) Parents the same, whom we think tat they "just act like they know what's best but they don't even know me". Would you in the heart reject your parents by rejecting their advices that contra to your thinking?

(iii) Friends, Solomon himself said "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but enemy multiplies kisses" How will you react when a friend tell you "Actually you should not..." out of their love for you, will you treat them as your enemy or will you trust them even more? What about friends just agree and praise you even though they know you're losing a relationship with another friend by what you're thinking about the other friend? Are they friend or foe?

(iv) In love relationship, all you can see at first is definitely the mask, if you've not known the other person well enuf. But as time goes by, both of you'll find out each other's weaknesses and worse still, both of you might fail at times to fulfill the promises that you've written on the masks... What would you do? Endure? Or just give up because "after all, I just found out that we're not tat match for each other"?

If you choose to relate with the community simply at this stage, you'll find out tat you've more broken relationships than healthily growing relationships...

2. BEHIND the mask (v. 6-9)

As discussed at point 1, most of us will not really care about who really is, behind the mask. But as time goes by, we'll ned to choose whether we would like to commit our lives to the one behind the mask and grow in the relationship. What if we choose to commit?

(i) Like Job, we'll be able to grow in the relationship with God. Although there are challenges while we put our trust in God, although every1 around us might want us to break our relationship with God, but if we choose to grow with God, we'll choose to endure and patiently go through the process of growing. Then, we'll taste the goodness of overcoming situations with God, God's help and love and surely, we'll have a lot of stories to tell about God in our lives... Do you have at least one to tell right now?

(ii) Solomon listened partially to his father. The one that he listened, made him really successful, and the one that he didn't listen fully, made him die. He obeyed the part that he has to love the ppl and therefore pray to God that he'll wisely reign the kingdom of God's ppl. This is especially successful, because until now, he's still recognized as the wisest person ever lived. But the "carefully obeying the law part" he didn't really do it wholeheartedly. Just by marrying foreigners, he led himself to doom when he listened to them and worshiped idols and became the starter of idols worship in Israel. See? A great blessing if you accept and a trap of doom if you reject...

(iii) Gossip had been a very attractive past time for most of the ppl. One of its biggest success factor is, it has no age or sex discrimination. Another big shot is, ppl have more weaknesses than strength to talk about! Wut's worse is the one that talk about the other person's bad in front of you, might talk about YOUR bad in front of another friend... Mission? Very simple:to break all the relationship so that all will be lonely and depend on themselves, and astray from God... Well, after all, we still have our sinful nature rite? But, if we choose to accept and enfold the person behind the mask, we'll endure and accept the person. Never will we want to break friendship just because of a simple failure of fulfillment of the promises written on the mask... We'll enjoy a healthy growing relationship with our friends...

(iv) Many love relationship break ups nowadays because of the word "try"... The worst that I've ever heard from a friend is : "well, we'll TRY in the marriage first, if it doesn't WORK OUT, then just divorce and find another person to marry la... It's very common nowadays ar... No one complained about the trying methodology oso.." Wow... So, how many times you wanna TRY? I was given another philosophy: "Practice makes perfect".. The phrase "no one complained" is a half truth... Of course no one complained... Ones that would take serious love relationship in their hands and do it whatever way they like, you expect them to tell you their struggles? Some of them wanna complained, but no more chance, because died in suicide... And, does the standard defined by society u live in, or by the main standard-the Word of God. God is love, and Love is God... Love, if you sum it up is full commitment and unconditional. If you put TRY in it, then the unconditional will not exist... What we want should not be the mask, but the person behind it.. What we love, should not be the mask, but the person...

If you choose to relate with the community until this stage, you'll find out tat you've more healthily growing relationships than broken relationships...

3. Behind the other masks

When we finally pass through challenges with the commitment that we make in the relationship. 
- We'll catch God's heartbeat to share the goodness of overcoming challenges with Him. We'll influence others who're struggling with challenges, who're choosing between God and man or situations, to follow and grab hold of God..
- We'll share the goodness of not giving up a relationship easily and influence others to hang on, when there's challenges...

We'll Learn To Look At Each Other Through Christ =)