I don’t know about y’all, but there are many nights that I spend way too much time setting out my clothes, jewelry, and shoes for in the morning. I don’t look at the weather forecast first. I don’t think what the most comfortable or sensible apparel will be. However, I DO think of who I will see and where I will go. And you know why? It’s because I feel this enormous pressure to constantly present myself as if I have it all together. I feel that every inch of my body and life need to scream perfection. But guess what? There is not a single inch of me that is perfect, and that’s okay. The sad truth, however, is that it doesn’t feel okay. It feels chaotic and messy and unlovable and like not enough. We see these pictures on instagram, pinterest, facebook and magazines that show us what success looks like. They show us what the perfect outfits consist of. They tell us how to act and speak in order to be the most likeable. They guide us toward the perfect workout routine to keep your thigh gap in tact and your cellulite non-existent. In me all these things create a heart of comparison. But is any of that real? I know for me it definitely isn’t. My make-up, outfits, workouts, diets, and filled to the brim schedule are not showing the real and authentic me. My make-up doesn’t show the purple circles under my eyes, sitting perched on the ledges of my cheekbones, that witnessed the all-nighter I pulled the night before doing homework. The pre-planned meals that I pack don’t show the moment of weakness I had with my spoon and carton of Blue Bell ice cream. My perfectly planned, color coded planner doesn’t show the ugly tears that I cried when it was all just too much and I just needed a break. However, I can show all of these things if I choose to. I can begin to live a more authentic life. Will I do it all the time? No. Will I be perfect at it? Absolutely not. Will I learn and grow in the process? I sure hope so. So, would you join me? Would you, too, begin to try and live a life where we share our struggles, dark circles, and ugly tears? Because when we do, we can better support and love one another the way that Christ calls us to love. My prayer this week, and for the weeks to come, is that we (myself included) would begin to live this kind of life and that in the middle of it we would come to love one another a little more. After all, we aren’t called to be perfect. We are called to be beautiful.
