I often wonder about this. In church everyone is always on their best behavior, well at least I am. I do not yell or scream at my kids in the middle of the service, I nicely smile and whisper to them “do we need to go to the bathroom to chat?” I also do not wear my sweat pants, and comfy clothes, the lack of getting ready I do on a daily basis may surprise others (or not). I smile, and sing, and shake hands and pretend to remember everyone’s names.
Even the grocery store I am normally more put together, well at least I think I am.
How many other people are another version of themselves when they are in public?
In church I am who I wish I could be every day.
But outside more times than not, I lose my cool. I am a work in progress, noticing my faults and not pushing them aside, step number one. Addressing them is step number two. This is what step I am on. Right now I am trying to cool it on my temper. I am also trying to work on my lack of patience, boy that’s a really tough one. I know I have many more faults than this, but these are two I feel are the most important right now, and I do not want to ruin my self esteem by pointing too many out at once.
Free therapy 
Thank you for sharing this! It is sooo true how people feel we have to be “perfect” in church. However, rarely do we realize that many people in church struggle with the same dilemma as us. The only way to break the cycle is for each and every one of us to have the guts and be real about who we are, what we struggle with and how God can redeem everything if we allow Him to. However, to allow Him to redeem, we need to admit our shortcomings, which is some of what you do on here, so thank you! I’m a work in progress myself and I need to continue to work on not pretending any more but to be honest and straightforward about me and my new redeemed identity (which is always in process)…
Thanks again and have a wonderful evening.
Amen! Thanks for commenting.