Transparency is a strength, NOT a weakness.

Have you ever gone through a rough time, and felt like you couldn’t tell anyone? Felt like no one would care? Or maybe thoughts like, “what would they think of me,” or “what if they think I’m not normal,” travel through your mind. So many people these days are living life with a mask on. Living life so afraid of someone not liking them, calling them damaged, or maybe overdramatic, that they walk around wearing a mask. Being one person in public but another in private. Because if people saw who you really were, they wouldn’t want you.

What if I were to tell you that being transparent, is a strength, not a weakness. To be transparent is to have the self-awareness to be able to say how you feel without feeling like you are damaged. To an extent, we all struggle with being transparent. I can guarantee you’ve never said to a friend, “Man I just love that I’m insecure.” But isn’t that the point, to be able to love all of yourself and to express how you feel, no matter how you feel? Unfortunately, it’s very rare that someone tells you its okay to be transparent. We live in a world where people tell you that feeling pain means you’re weak. That if you cry then you’re overdramatic. They tell you to hide your pain because no one cares. They tell you that you are damaged and should not tell anyone. The world constantly tries to tell you these lies. 

For this reason, I’m here today to tell you the truth. You are not weak, you are not overdramatic, damaged goods or any of the other lies this world tries to say about you. You are human. It’s okay to be hurt. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel these emotions, It’s one of the things that make us human. If we didn’t feel emotions, whether that emotion is sadness, happiness, anger, or pain. We would be missing out on just one of the best parts of being human. Emotions are one of the things that allows us to connect with each other. It allows us to be able to laugh together during the fun times and cry together during rough times.

With all that said, we go back to the beginning. Where I said, being transparent is a strength, not a weakness. It’s knowing that you are human and it’s okay to feel pain. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to be angry sometimes. It’s okay to be hurt. It’s Okay! I don’t know if you guys have heard or know about this… But Jesus wept. The only perfect man to ever step foot on this earth… He cried. He felt lonely. He felt anger. He felt tired. For those of you who don’t believe me, let me just give you a few verses. 

He cried: “Then Jesus Wept” John 11:35

He felt Lonely: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46

He felt anger: “And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored” Mark 3:5

He felt tired: “Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.” ‭‭John‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭

Don’t you see… It’s okay to have emotions. It is Okay! But what’s not okay is when your emotions take over. “Be angry, but do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:26‬ ‭

Crying doesn’t make you an emotional trainwreck or overdramatic, it makes you human. Feeling Anger doesn’t mean you are out of control… It means you are human. Feeling tired doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human. Don’t allow the words of the devil to tell you otherwise. All of these emotions are what make us who we are, so instead of running from them, embrace them. But make sure you do it at the right time, for there is, “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4

The problem is not that we don’t know these feelings are okay. Deep in our brains, we know that it’s okay to be hurt. The problem is we feel like it’s not okay because of how often this world tells us it’s not. We feel like being transparent is a weakness, because if we are transparent, then people will see who we truly are… They would see who we are behind the mask. Every flaw, every scar, every tear… Even just the thought of this scares us so much because we fear that they may not like us anymore. What if they saw how we were behind the mask they would want nothing to do with us. 

What if I were to tell you, you’re not the only one who feels this way… The day you start to tell people what’s going on is the day you will realize that you are not the only one. We all have our mask. Some may not wear it as often, but at the end of the day, we all have one. It is time, to tell people how you feel. It’s time to ask for help and genuinely want it not just say you want it. It’s time to make this world a better place, and it all starts with us being transparent, with us being real. Not just to ourselves in the mirror, but to our pastors, to our family, and to our friends. It’s time to show this world that transparency is a strength, not a weakness. It’s time to show people that there are people who do care about them. People who are here to help not to push you away. People who love you, maybe more than you love yourself. People who care for you, maybe more than you care for yourself. 

Today I end this blog with just a note of encouragement. I want to end this by telling you the truth just one more time. You are not weak, not damaged, not overdramatic, and not any of the other lies this world says about you. You are human. If you are struggling with this, please don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are people who care and want to be there for you. Don’t allow your pride or the lies of this world to tell you otherwise. At the end of the day, it doesn’t hurt to ask. So make sure to ask for help and never forget, transparency is a strength, not a weakness. 

Seth Medina