Cut The Crap

Ya’ll can I just be really honest with you today?   Lately, the Lord has burdened my heart about the things I put on social media and the image I portray to others.  I always want to put my best foot forward, but I don’t want to ever portray a reality that doesn’t exist.  Does that make sense? I want to call BS on all the Polly Perfects of the world.

It starts innocently enough with comments like, “You can come over, but my house is a mess.”  Then when we get there, it looks like their home should be on the cover of Southern Living, and we’re pretty sure we can smell a homemade pie in the oven. Not happening at my house, ya’ll.  I may tidy up as a courtesy, but you wouldn’t have to look too hard to see the pile of toys in the corner or the crumbs under the table. 

Sometimes it’s a post on social media about little Johnny being a mini-scholar.  What should be a simple shout-out for a job well-done on a first-grade spelling test, looks more like little Johnny is a prodigy who was accepted to Harvard.  All the while, I’m grateful that my kid remembered to have his homework log signed.

My favorite is when women say something like, “Got up, worked out, had my quiet time, showered, did a load of laundry, fixed breakfast for the kids, and tidied-up the house before leaving this morning. #Exhaustedalready #it’sgoingtobeagreatday.  Insert Morgan’s Watson’s hash-tag #gagmewithaspoon.  Seriously, do ya’ll not have mornings where you feed your kid pop tarts, sniff through a stack a laundry to see what smells acceptable enough to re-wear, and have a little hissy fit because no one is moving fast enough?  I can’t be just me!

What about the Pinterest Crafts and projects?  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If that’s your thing, then rock it!  For everyone else, I promise you that your kids will eat the Skittles even it’s not attached to a miniature pot of gold with some cute Saint Patrick’s Day saying. 

I’ve been there too, wanting to post some la-ti-da junk about my life.  I might have even written a thing our two that looked like that nonsense, but I’m over it now.  I’m learning to embrace the chaos and see the beauty in the imperfections.  I’m learning to own my crazy and admit that I don’t have it all together, and ya’ll, it’s a beautiful thing!

But here’s where I am going with this post.  If we can’t be honest with the small stuff, and if we can’t cut the crap and lose the façade, how are we ever going to humble ourselves enough to ask for help? How will we ever be of help to another broken soul when no one is willing talk about the hard stuff?

If we won’t talk about messy houses, how can we ever talk about broken homes?

Why are we able to watch shows and movies with comical references to marijuana and recreational drug use but not have real discussions about the drug epidemic that this sweeping through our communities and destroying our families?

If we are willing to take a public beating on social media for our stance on every political topic known to modern day democracy, why aren’t we willing to accept the scrutiny that comes along with boldly proclaiming the Gospel of Christ?

Are we able to truly encourage a new mother struggling in her role when we aren’t willing to admit that our kids didn’t do anything “by the book.” I can’t tell you what freedom came into my life when I finally said to another struggling mother, “I love my kid, but I’m having a hard time loving my role as a mother in the middle of all this exhaustion.” Ya’ll, people relate to us in our weakness.  Sidebar: seven years later I can honestly say that I LOVE being a mother, but it wasn’t always this way.

How can we have Pinterest boards full fashionable designs, yet not take the time to talk with young women about the issues of modesty, having respect for our bodies, or the importance of having a healthy self-image?

You know what I think?  I think Satan has us right where he wants us because he knows that if we can’t cut the crap and be honest about the small stuff, it will continue to snowball into the big stuff.  Christ tells us that our enemy is a like a lion ready to devour his prey, and that’s what happening in our culture…we’re being out-smarted by our enemy.

I’m not suggesting that we air our dirty laundry on social media or go around flippantly talking about our problems…quite the opposite actually.  I think the Lord is calling us to invest in tangible relationships.  The kind of friendships and mentorships where we can say, “My house is a mess, but stop on by.”  We need the kind of friendships where we can sit across from one another over a cup of coffee talking about the deep issues that are threatening our peace.  We should be able to sit and cry together over the brokenness of our lives and go to the Lord together asking him to pick up the pieces.  We need the kinds of friends who will listen to us lament but not be tempted to take our side of a situation just because we are friends – people who will let us cry and then tell is to put on our big girl panties and get over it! 

We need friends and not just social media acquaintances.

We need to "cut the crap."  We need to be honest about the small stuff so that when the big stuff threatens our world, we can have the humility to reach out for the support and prayer that will help our hearts begin to heal.

We need to seek God for wisdom in finding the delicate balance needed to be transparent about our shortcomings while also having an appropriate amount of discretion so that we are respectful to our friends and family.  

We need to "cut the crap," own our crazy, and embrace the chaos because, ya’ll, some days making sure everyone gets to school with their underwear on is a major accomplishment – and that needs to be ok.

And just to "keep it real"  here's a glimpse into our reality...Life With A Drama Queen.