“Let’s go Cam!” As we headed out the door to run a few errands I noticed Cameron had paint all over the sleeve of his jacket. Immediately that voice of my mother blasted into my head, “You can’t leave the house looking like that!” I nudged Cameron back into the house to change his jacket. He was clearly annoyed. “No one cares mom!”
The response in my head was very culture driven. We wouldn’t want anyone to think you might not be perfect, right? Ugh, ridiculous. I put way too much pressure on myself to look like I’ve got it all under control. I refuse to fake it anymore. Let this be my public service announcement—I, Andrea, am honestly a mess. I am self-conscious. I worry my messy house is a reflection of me. I am not patient, ever, which makes me question my role as mother. I dislike the indecisive. I eat when no one is looking. I love to be alone. I over think everything; which brings me back to paint on Cameron’s sleeve..….
Society has driven us to second guess ourselves which in turns creates a gigantic catastrophe. We want our Facebook’s to look like the Cleavers but in reality it’s mega dysfunctional. The neighbor’s lawn looks like Better Homes and Gardens but inside the house is World War III. Lastly those big family gatherings, yep, behind the fake smiles people are hurt, tangled and holding a grudge. I could go on forever. Sound familiar?
What’s the silver lining? We don’t serve society. If you serve society you will never be satisfied. You will never find your joy. God wants all of us. Even the ugliest part with the paint on our jacket. On a side bar, I’ve got some really foul things on my heart that make paint look like child’s play. I can say this because we are in a safe place. God sees the blemishes from heaven; yet still wants to give us unconditional love and forgiveness. Look at Eve. Eve made the mother of all mistakes. She transformed everything with that bite of the apple. (Yes ladies, we have Eve to thank for the lovely agonizing experience of childbirth, even in 2015) Did God forsake Eve? Did God walk away and talk to Adams about what a colossal mistake she made and who does she think she is? No, he actually blessed her as the story reads. Blessed her, the mother of all blemishes and all.
With the pressure of today’s world it’s not easy to heave away the counterfeit reality show lifestyle and trade it for God’s example of all-inclusive forgiveness. When we give our heart to God he doesn’t care if your kid is a screw up, you have $10 in your bank account or you’re a little over weight. He paid for all of you, paint on your sleeve too. The hard part, we as humans adopting the same love and care to others. We judge. We gossip. We talk about so and so who just walked in with THAT outfit on. Next time your mind pushes that inner diva to be perfect, fight it. It can be liberating to just be yourself. You could unshackle someone else by taking off the mask of perfectionism and just be who God made you. No more secrets. No more talking in riddles about your difficulties. Discontinue the reality show and start talking to people about your true reality. Transparency builds relationships. Imitation keeps you from a true blessing from God. I write this blog to be translucent. To be vulnerable to the world. To encourage you to undress the inner princess and wear a crown of authenticity. If you justly offer your story as sacrifice there just might be a real crown waiting for you in heaven.
