COVER-UP

“Cover-up’ is an expression that indicates the truth is being masked or withheld.  Those involved in the cover-up do not want people to know the truth about a situation. Cover-up occurs among all age groups, all the way up to our politicians. If we are honest, we can all recall times we have covered up something.  But why do we cover up? We cover up because we think, if the truth were known, we would be embarrassed, disrespected, disliked, punished or shunned. Simply put, cover-up is lying! 

The idea of cover-up has been successfully transported into the makeup industry. The ads tell us we look younger and more attractive with makeup on, and honestly, a little makeup does make one look nice. So, in essence, when we use makeup, we hide our flaws. The anti-aging products make us look younger than we really are; the creams, lotions and powders cover up the blemishes and age spots.

There are all sorts of products on the market that help us deceive ourselves and others, because they tell a slightly different story about our physical appearance than the truth

What do we cover up in the spiritual world, and with what? Christians have just as many (if not more) struggles, failures, pain and suffering as everyone else. We are not exempt from heartaches, sleepless nights or tears; in fact Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV).   

 We don’t always win our battles against sin, and our Christian walk is not perfect, yet we don’t want others to know what we are going through for fear they might judge us as unspiritual or think less of us than we want them to.  So, we cover up! Of course, people have other reasons for covering up, but the point is, it is not helpful. So Scriptures teach us, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16 NIV).

  When asked how we are doing, we give the impression that all is well, which is okay if, truthfully, all is well. But if it isn’t, how can people pray for us when we keep them in the dark? We each need a few good friends to encourage us, pray for us and if possible, pray with us.

A nice hairdo, a little make-up and a fake smile help us with the cover-up scheme; our brothers and sisters are fooled into thinking all is well with us, but God sees through all that. He always knows where we are in our walk with Him, and when we are hurting, and He places others in our paths to encourage us. The caring people in our lives are not there by chance, but by divine appointment. Let’s stop pretending, open up to them, and ask for support. Cover-up might be okay in the world of physical appearance, but is very unhelpful in the spiritual arena. Remember that we are commanded to “carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NIV). Don’t cover up; aim to be transparent, and thus be supported!