The mask you didn't realise you were wearing

Can I be honest with you for a moment?

Most of us are performing. Not on a stage, but in quiet, ordinary ways - at the school gate, in the work meeting, on the phone to a friend. Saying “I’m fine” when we’re not. Smiling when we’re actually holding on. Keeping the messy bits well out of sight.

It’s exhausting, isn’t it?

There’s a moment in the Old Testament that stopped me in my tracks this week. God sends the prophet Samuel to find Israel’s next king, and Samuel immediately spots the obvious candidate - tall, impressive, the kind of person you’d pick first. But God interrupts him. “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

We often read that as a lesson about not judging others. And it is. But today I want you to hear it differently - as relief.

Because here’s what it means for you: God is not watching your highlight reel. He’s not impressed by the curated version. He sees the tired you, the struggling you, the you who wonders whether you’re really enough. And here’s the thing that keeps stopping me: he sees all of that - and he still chooses you.

The gap between who you are and who you pretend to be? That’s not a barrier. That’s where grace shows up.

I unpacked all of this in today’s five-minute devotional - including one small, honest step you can take today. No mountain to climb. Just a single, quiet moment between you and God.

You can watch it here:

Take care of yourself, Rob

Read this week’s devotionals here - https://devotional.battledrilldevotional.com/publish/post/192246392?r=643q6o&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true