Naturally, there comes a point when a boy becomes a young man and he departs from home; He wants to see the world and all he has been missing. And so, he packs his suitcase and sets off to make a name for himself; giving little consideration or care for that which he is leaving behind. In and around this time, there is an inevitable shift within where the Father’s provision and guidance no longer seems necessary.
Once this happens, an invisible bar is established in a man’s life; one which he will feel the pressure of for years to come and never quite be able to rise above. 
This bar comes from a place of longing to prove oneself; working for our identity and the approval of our Father instead of simply receiving it. We constantly will be looking out the side of our eye to ensure our actions were observed… at the same time, frantically attempting to hide any deficiencies. 
But sadly it doesn’t stop there…
No, in addition to the internal bar, we create an external mask that we put on when amongst other men; one which shows no weakness or inadequacy. We are living a counterfeit life, inside and out… For what? We don’t even know. 
Make no mistake, all men know this bar and wear this mask; it is most evident in situations where we feel less than or not good enough… A feeling which just seems to increase as the years pass. As others also bear these burdens, an exhausting cycle to outperform one another gains momentum. Each of us labour in vain, making sure it appears as though we have it all together from the outside; yet on the inside, we are just that uncertain boy desperate for a word of reassurance… low self-esteem rearing its ugly head on a regular basis.
We are far from home and the love of our Father during these times; yet too proud to concede.

Even during brief calls home to speak with our Dad, the mask remains on; to show vulnerability, a seemingly impossible task.
Speaking of tasks, we sure have accumulated a laundry list of them since leaving home haven’t we? Like a ladder that just keeps extending; we look up at the staggering height wondering where to even start. We tremble as we climb, knowing at the bottom there is nobody to hold it steady. To go down at this point would surely be a failure, but the thought of continuing higher also makes our knees shake.
Make no mistake, we all will eventually reach a breaking point… the longer the facade, the greater the break. 
To admit and accept this is an unthinkable thought for so many of us, but really our only true way out of this crippling cycle.
Men, we must drop the bar, remove the mask and come down from the ladder; there is no consolation or self worth to be found there. As Psalm 139:23-24 displays, only through genuine transparency will we ever experience genuine freedom “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

For it is only in this fragile and exposed state that we can see ourselves for who we really are… But more importantly, discover what our True Father sees when He looks at us.

You see, while we have been running back and forth to the point of exhaustion, He has been watching from the sidelines, patiently waiting for us to simply stop and let Him approach to tell us something of great importance.

His words? They provide us exactly what we have been longing to hear our entire lives… “You my son… are enough”