Good morning, friends. Today, I want to share a new perspective… one that someone hit me with after they read my post yesterday…Peaches and coconuts
What if you’re both a coconut AND a peach? What if you’re hard on the outside AND on the inside? Is that possible? Do you know people like that?
What do you think causes that? Are they born like that? Or simply worn down by life to the point where they just build an outer shell as well as an inner shell?
I hadn’t really even considered that possibility to be honest… but after reading my post yesterday, someone pointed out that it’s possible.
How would you reach someone like that with the love of Christ? Would they be open to having Gods love penetrate their facade?
I am fascinated by personality studies… and have learned that people often have a public persona and a personal persona… the face they WANT you to see and the face they REALLY are… different types of personality tests can determine many things about both.
Oddly enough, in personality tests that I’ve done, my public persona is nearly identical to my personal… in other words, I am what I am… and yet even I wear a mask. I believe we all do to some degree. (Hence the Masquerade).
My theory is this… the people with the hard outer shell WANT you to think they’re tough… and in fact, they may indeed be hardened by the trials of life… they’ve harden the themselves to protect themselves.. and sometimes ONLY Gods love can penetrate their scales..
Many people might view the coconut shell and/or peach seed as a bad thing… the but truth is there’s a time and a place for both… there IS a need for us to protect ourselves… to guard our most tender and vulnerable areas from harm. Equally, there is a need for us to be tender and loving and show others our true identity…. The trick in life is to determine when and with whom each is appropriate.
God is raising up warriors, my friends… He wants to use us to reach a hardened world. He needs us to sensitive to others and to be able to show them His love, but He needs is to be tough enough to withstand the devils schemes.
Be blessed today, my friends!
SB
Journey-For-Life 