Glossy Exterior

Do you understand what I mean when I use the term glossy exterior? My friends, we live in a time when there is so much visual stimulation fighting to grab our attention. There are many things going on in this world that are making you feel as if you have to keep up, you’re not popular enough, you’re not measuring up, or that you’re not as important; Trust me when I tell you that these are all lies. Glossy means shiny, sleek, and polished. Exterior means the outside, external, and outer. If we marry the glossy and exterior, we create a sleek outside. I ask you, what is wrong with a glossy exterior? What is wrong with a sleek outside? It tells you nothing about the truth inside.

Let me tell you a quick story. I loved driving past a certain house. As I would drive past this house, I would fantasize about living there. I loved the charm of the outside of this house. I loved the design, I loved the fact that it was two stories, I loved the color, and I loved the neighborhood it was in. One day, my mom was in the car with me and I went to show her this house that I had fallen in love with.

A  sale sign was hanging in front of my house! There was activity going on at the house, so I decided to pull over and see if I could have a walk-through of the house. I was so excited to be looking at the inside of this home that I had admired. The owner of the house was very nice and gave my mom and I a complete tour of the house.

Long story short, my mom and I left with such disappointment. The exterior was nothing like the interior. Every aspect of the home on the inside needed to be redone. Even the pool outside was not practical. My point is…looks can be deceiving. What looked great on the outside, was a wreck on the inside.

I decided to share this story because it represents so much of what goes on in all of our lives.

How many pictures do you see on facebook, instragram, twitter, pinterest or any other social media outlet that are just glossy exteriors? How many souls do you encounter that have glossy exteriors? How many people go into debt trying to have a glossy exterior? Have you ever seen a fancy car in the garage of a run-down house? Why would they spend the money on a car that depreciates the minute they drive off the lot, instead of placing the money in the place they call home? Because they want to impress the total stranger in the parking lot or the person at the stop light; just another example of glossy exterior.

I heard about a certain media site that was causing women to be depressed; This site was such an inspiration to women with its décor, cooking,  fashion, and DIY projects that it ending up making women feel like they could not live up to the standards they saw in the pictures of the people they followed. This is a trap. Nothing should make you feel less than.

Start to view all of these glossy exteriors as distractions. These distractions are causing you to question yourself. These distractions are causing you unnecessary pressure. These distractions are causing you to move too fast. If you are distracted and trying to constantly stay connected, when do you ever have time to relax or regroup or be reflective? We have forgotten the beauty of silence. Social media might not change but you can change. Change your approach to the distractions. Focus on improving the beauty that is within you, like your thoughts, attitude, and behavior. And remember, if something looks too good to be true…it might just be a glossy exterior!