A Little REAL Goes A Long Way

Have you ever met someone who was, well, ....... fake? I am talking about the person who seems to paint their smile on when they wake up in the morning and wash it off when they go to bed. Someone who makes their life seem perfect, when you know it isn't (no ones life is perfect). How about the mom who is constantly bragging on her children in order to take attention away from her less than perfect life? Or the person who tells you just what you need to know so you cant get too close, because if you get too close, you will see her true self? What about the person who would rather die than have someone publicly expose their weaknesses?

We all know someone who fits in one of those categories. I see it all the time on the internet. You've seen them. The blogs where life is perfect and spent taking trips to Europe with the family or where the husband is perfect, the wife is perfect and the kids are 100% without fault. These are the women who tell us how their husband took them to Ann Taylor and told them to buy one of everything or how they spend their Christmases in the South of France, but send their money to buy presents for the poor. There is nothing wrong with any of those things, but sometimes people give the false impression of having a perfect existence (matter of fact if my hubs took me to Ann Taylor and said I could buy anything, I would fall over dead). I am not saying that a blog is where you should air your dirty laundry, but you know the blogs I'm speaking of - we have all read them. Whether it is the blog of a "perfect person" or an "in-person perfect person", they leave you feeling like your life is pathetic because it isn't perfect.

A few years ago, a friend from church gave me one of the nicest compliments I have ever received (although I didn't really know it was a compliment at the time ;-). This person probably doesn't even remember saying this, but he told me "You have to be the most REAL girl in this church". I didn't really know how to take that. I was thinking that I would have preferred he replace the word 'real' with the word 'beautiful' or 'talented' or maybe 'nicest', but he said REAL. He had no idea the amount of 'junk' I have tried to hide in my life. Lately, I have come to understand that being real, which includes showing my weaknesses and allowing people to see the real me, the imperfect me, is not a bad thing.

When people see the imperfect me, they are able to see God at work. When they see my attitude change or see me turning from a particular sin, they are seeing God's power. "In my weakness, He is made strong". A facade of perfection leaves no room for bragging on God, and isn't that what our life should be about, bringing glory to The One Who Deserves It? When we act like our lives (ourselves) are perfect, we are cheating God out of the chance to get glory through us. Oh, I know that when we show all our cards, we face judgement from others (especially Christians), but maybe it's time we all get real and let some of our faults be known so that God can show Himself strong in our lives and in turn we can bear witness to His power in our lives.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)