Being Real in a False World

     We live in a world where we feel pressure to be perfect- similar to my last post. Social media is the worst for putting fake images on display. Take for instance a picture you may decide to post- if you were 100% honest, how many re-takes did you take? What filter did you use? How long did it take you to find the very best possible one of you? And for real- why do women stick out their lips?.. as Trey Kennedy would say, "do less, and God bless." I mean, who cares if someone else looks awful, the bottom line is this- I'll post the one I look the best in. Why am I so shallow that I need to display a great image, when at best, I struggle each day with a handful of my own insecurities? 
     If you come to my home for a meal, I would be annoyed if you saw the mess in my closet or the tumbleweeds of dog hair I vacuumed before you got there. I want my own version of "Magnolia" perfection. I watch Chip and Joanna and then feel inadequate when I scrutinize my own home. Don't get me wrong- I'm a Fixer Upper addict, and that show carried me through some really lonely seasons of life. It's just that it opens my eyes to my inabilities to pull together a look that causes decorating envy. So instead, I'll wander the Project 62 section in Target, and wish I could start re-vamping my spaces, and I guess I could for a small fortune. But why can't I just be satisfied with my own blessings, because I have many! And why do I feel pressured to uphold a Joanna Gaines standard? 
     I was scrolling through Instagram today, and saw a post by Lauren Daigle that I absolutely loved! She posted 10 selfies of mostly weird or silly faces and captioned her post with this- "Just a little something real for ya while you scroll through the myriad of Instagram perfection mirages." I told my daughter just last week, "can you imagine if we just posted pictures of our worst moments? When we had the worst hair day, and a pimple the size of our nose?" Because none of us are perfect- not our houses, not our bodies, not our lives. But because we only post our greatest moments, and most flattering pictures, we cause a whole world full of people to feel insecure, inadequate, and unsatisfied. 
     I think of how this relates to the subject of infidelity. We are always looking at what we think is greener grass, thinking surely there is something better for me out there. But when we get a good look at that greener grass, it's as inadequate as what was growing in our own yard. We are a generation of dissatisfied people, always wanting what we don't have. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, we all are imperfect, stained, and messy. It's time to face the reality of our imperfections, and not put forth false personas. The images we are sending are causing generations of people to feel insecure. It's okay to be real- to post the picture you're cross-eyed in. To invite the company over when the grass is a foot tall because you've been too busy. God isn't impressed with fake- He values a sincere heart. 
     So today, I want to encourage you to embrace who God made you to be. I'm no Joanna Gaines, but I was made in the image of God, and He loved me enough to send His Son to die for me. He didn't only die for the prettiest ones, the most talented, or the sharpest crayon in the box- He died for all! My shortcomings are a testament to my humanity. So no matter what I post, I am here to remind you that I don't have it all together. I don't have all the answers. And as long as I'm on this side of eternity, I never will. 

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 ESV
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 1 Peter 3:8 ESV
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 ESV
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30 ESV

Dear Heavenly Father, help me not put forth a false perception of perfection. I don't have a perfect marriage, family, body, or home. I don't have it all together. Let others see me as genuine, and may my inadequacies give me opportunity to connect with others that are struggling with their own securities, opening the door for me to introduce them to You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!