Daily decisions flood our minds with choices to go with the flow, or stand up and be brave. Today’s culture surrounds us with substitutes for the real thing. From butter to friendships, we can relate to counterfeits. Disguised alternatives fool us into believing we desperately need something, only to be misled into its web of destruction. Authenticity is craved in our relationships, jobs, churches, homes, and families; yet we are plagued by its scarcity.
For every person we encounter who is the real deal, we come across several who are phony. Wearing masks, sharing lies, and playing games have unfortunately become a norm versus a rarity. It is a breath of fresh air when we bump into people who are true, real, authentic and completely genuine. In fact, we tend to gravitate to those people, because we sense an immediate level of trust.
We live in a period where tweets and status updates rarely portray what it seems. We have traded strength by sharing no struggles and claimed vulnerability as weakness. In all essence, the truest measure of strength is displayed in our courage to be real. If claiming a perfect life is our goal, we will share little company. I would rather share life in relationships that are real and broken versus pretending perfection any day.
We need one another, Moms. I need my weaknesses to make me strong, and I need your encouragement to make me brave. Let your brokenness build a bridge to share authenticity with those who are craving the same thing. We have to be greater than what we suffer.
Surrounded by flocks of chameleons, our quest to be different has to be intentional, and different is good. Lies will sting like bullets, mouths will shoot like guns, and band-aids can’t cover those wounds. Put out the fire before igniting, and your sweet soul will find peace from situations that have actually made you stronger.
Life can be messy. Complicated. And the thing we are most afraid of can actually be the key to making us free. We live where our outer mask helps us function in a world that seldom appreciates the quiet strengths of introversion. The culture overemphasizes mastery and end results. When in all sincerity, we need to focus more on the process than the outcome.
Truth is harder than a lie, making us sick with the cancer of comparison. If we want strength when life delivers lemons instead of lemonade; we have to decide to persevere – never giving up. Don’t let your struggle become your identity. Let your struggle become your strength.
If the old saying is true, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” we are going to be extraordinarily tough! Strength is found in unity together, not wasting our time tearing other people apart. We never look good trying to make someone else look bad. Moms, we are so much stronger than that.
Be Real ~ Be You!
Leave a Reply