Camouflage is nature’s way of protecting itself. Or maybe it’s more correct in saying that it’s something God thought of to protect every aspect of His beautiful creation.
On the other hand, there are brighter coloured species that don’t need camouflage because they are generally poisonous, and predators know that. Us humans often use both those tactics to “protect” ourselves.
We often camouflage our emotions. So seldom do we do something about the issues we might be experiencing. Our outward expression and actions are completely contradictory to what’s going on inside. It might be because we don’t want to appear weak, or it might just be that we don’t want to face reality. If I sweep it under the carpet, maybe it will just go away. It never does!
There are 2 ways to deal with our “camouflage confusion”. A dangerous path to take is to talk to as many people as you can gather in your camp about your issues. This eventually becomes a “please-feel-sorry-for-me” tactic. I’ve been there and done that. The more attention people give you, the better you start to feel about yourself. But this “confidence building method” is fake and doesn’t last very long. It becomes like an addiction. You need more attention and when you don’t get it, you are worse off than when you started. Our focus then moves from doing something about our struggles, to growing our sympathy circle.
There are few things as tiring in life as trying to outwardly portray something, that is dissimilar to what’s happening inside. When there’s a contradiction between inward me and outward me, my reality becomes blurred. I need to identify the issues I’m dealing with, and share it with one or two people who are really close to me. This is not for sympathy purposes. It is simply for support. What I need to remember is that this is my battle.
- I am going to have to face it head-on
- I am going to have to change what I can to improve the situation
- I am going to have to face the fact that there will be things I can’t fix
- I am going to have to decide that the glass is half full
Being positive is great, but the real answer is when your faith in God, who loves you and created you to be a winner, is the source of your positivity. When we truly put our trust in Him, He brings harmony to our lives. That’s when our circumstances don’t determine our joy anymore. He takes away that “Camouflage mentality” and frees us to live out what is on the inside. No more fakeness! No more pretending! Our efforts move from feeling sorry for ourselves, to doing something about the REAL plight of others.
Allow God to give you His inner peace. It will change your outer reality.
Have an awesome day!
Mark Davidson
