It seems that so many of us today are not being true to ourselves. We get up every morning and put on a game face. We go throughout the day pretending. We would not dare let people see who we really are. The fear is that they would reject us if they knew who we really are.

Because we are not being true to ourselves, we carry our burdens alone and suffer the pain of doing so. We suffer from depression, fear of rejection, all types of insecurities, and feelings of not being good enough. We hide behind masks of smiles, bravado, and manufactured vitality—while deep inside we are crying out for relief.

We work at jobs we hate, stay in relationships that are not healthy, and spend too much money trying to impress people who really don’t care that much about us. We see it all the time—in the news, the movies and shows we watch, among celebrities, and especially on social media.

We have been told in numerous ways that we’re losers if we don’t project the image of perfection. Just take a look at any of the magazine covers. They project perfection. True, looking at those pictures of perfection may give us something to strive to improve on the outside, but also it leads to us comparing ourselves to others. Truth be told, so much of what we see is fabricated.

There is an abundance of emotional and mental unwellness that is hiding under the façades we project to the world. We’ve seen it come to the forefront through suicide, murder, self-sabotage, cutting, overeating, overspending, promiscuity, substance abuse, domestic abuse, rape, pedophilia; the list goes on and on. These people are wounded individuals who have suffered and either didn’t seek help or did not receive appropriate help. They, in turn, are hurting themselves and other.

Why didn’t they seek help? Most probably because they didn’t want to be looked down on. Everyone wants to feel accepted. Or maybe they did seek help and received blame instead. Or maybe where they went for help didn’t want to acknowledge a problem even existed.

The church sometimes seems to be falling down on the job of answering these cries for help. There are countless stories of abused women who went to their churches for help and were told to go back home and try to make it work; stories abound about women who were molested, raped, or sexually abused when they were younger but were told to keep quiet about it to keep peace in the family.

This must stop! We must embrace our sisters that are crying out for help, regardless of the type of help needed. Also, if we’re the ones that need the help, we must be diligent in seeking out the help we need. There are agencies, organizations, ministries, and churches who are ready and willing to answer the cry. I hope to use this platform to start conversations and give hurting women one more place to find the help and healing they need. Suffering in silence must become a thing of the past.

Sis, help is available. Will you reach out?

For more information on help that’s available, contact me at Lois@thepathwaycoach.com.

Coach Lois