One of the things I have a hard time with is being real. I get stuck in the thinking everything has to look perfect from the outside, that I can’t show my struggles, my insecurities, my sins. I find myself trying to make the outside look so nice and put together. But the inside looks totally different.
I try to look like the perfect mom. Like I have everything researched and figured out and scheduled and organized. Like I know every move my son is going to make and I am prepared for anything. While really, I don’t. I have researched, I have read, I have even tried to schedule but really, if you spend a couple days with us – you’d know we don’t even close to have it put together.
I try to look like the perfect wife. I try to show only the happy pictures and pretend we don’t have struggles. I try only show the good memories and the good times. I tell people things are good and fine, when really…I struggle…we struggle.
I try to look like the perfect christian. I know all the answers, I know the verses, I know how to follow the rules and I can even dress the “right way”. I go to church, I go to bible study, so on and so forth. But, God always shows me something I need to work on or some way I need to rely on God and not myself.
Looking good on the outside is not real. That is a plastic person just waiting to shatter. Eventually the facade is going crumble and what is underneath is going to come out.
Why are we so afraid to be real? So afraid to show our brokenness and our messy lives. We all have them. I guarantee there isn’t one of us that has it all figured out or put together. We all have our daily struggles, we all slip and fall and we all get back up again.
We, as the body of Christ, as fellow believers, are to be here for each other. No matter the brokenness or messiness our lives entail. We are to encourage and pick up those who need the support around us. We are to allow others to encourage and support us. We all need it. We all need grace.
Grace brings freedom, restoration, forgiveness. It helps us break the image of perfection and be real.
My personal challenge is to be real, to share my brokenness, to share my struggles, to share my messiness. I don’t want to be afraid of the crazy mess on the inside. I don’t want to be afraid to ask for help, admit I’m wrong or take ownership of my actions. I know I can’t do it alone.
I try to look like the perfect wife. I try to show only the happy pictures and pretend we don’t have struggles. I try only show the good memories and the good times. I tell people things are good and fine, when really…I struggle…we struggle.
I try to look like the perfect christian. I know all the answers, I know the verses, I know how to follow the rules and I can even dress the “right way”. I go to church, I go to bible study, so on and so forth. But, God always shows me something I need to work on or some way I need to rely on God and not myself.
Looking good on the outside is not real. That is a plastic person just waiting to shatter. Eventually the facade is going crumble and what is underneath is going to come out.
Why are we so afraid to be real? So afraid to show our brokenness and our messy lives. We all have them. I guarantee there isn’t one of us that has it all figured out or put together. We all have our daily struggles, we all slip and fall and we all get back up again.
We, as the body of Christ, as fellow believers, are to be here for each other. No matter the brokenness or messiness our lives entail. We are to encourage and pick up those who need the support around us. We are to allow others to encourage and support us. We all need it. We all need grace.
Grace brings freedom, restoration, forgiveness. It helps us break the image of perfection and be real.
My personal challenge is to be real, to share my brokenness, to share my struggles, to share my messiness. I don’t want to be afraid of the crazy mess on the inside. I don’t want to be afraid to ask for help, admit I’m wrong or take ownership of my actions. I know I can’t do it alone.
“Dear Lord, I already see so many areas of my life that I try to cover up. I’m afraid of what people will think, I am afraid people won’t accept me. Please take away that fear. Fear is not of you. Please help me to be honest, to be open and to be real. Please help me to hear what people have to say when they notice something not right and open to people helping and encouraging me. Thank you Lord for grace and forgiveness. Thank you for people you have put in my life to walk along side of me. Help me to shine you. In Christ’s name, Amen.”
