Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Remember this photo

I shared on instagram a few days ago?

 Here's the real life version:
We have the cushions from the camper stacked on the table and some of the other stuff we've gathered for it on the hearth... and then there's Emma's toys on the ottoman... 
REAL LIFE.
I've been reading several things about how we tend to judge our lives by the pinterest perfect photos out on the internets... 
And I've recently completed a Bible Study called The Comparison Trap [by Sandra Stanley] that addresses some of these issues 
[Thanks Beth @ UnskinnyBoppy for pulling us all together!]
It got me to thinking about a Sunday School lesson we had long ago 
[long before the internets...] 
We talked about how [so] many people live their lives with a mask on - a perfect little church-going mask... a competent worker mask... the perfect parent mask... etc. 
And life is just not like that. 
Life is real.
Life is hard.
And life can sometimes be not so pretty...
I loved that Sunday school group we were in because our leaders  
taught us -- allowed us --- ENCOURAGED us --
 to be real. 
We could come into class and share [without judgement] how we yelled at our kids to get their shoes on... or whatever on the way to church...[cause, don't you know, satan has a heydey with us when we're trying to do what God wants us to do -- ]
And I learned that life is so much better when we are just ourselves... 
[Some of our best friends today are from that young-married Sunday School Class...]
Who are we living our life to please? 
 Here's something to ponder - 
"Obviously, I"m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.
If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant." [Galatians 1:10]
So - let's be real... but that doesn't mean we shouldn't put our best foot forward.
[No one wants to see ALL the ugly in our lives - lol.]
I'll close by showing a spot I've found to enjoy
 the little flag quilt [that Haley made] {{and I LOVE!}} all year long... 
This little shelf above our table just brings me a bit of happiness 
each time I walk into the kitchen...
Annnnnnd the table stays basically clean, so this is a mostly real life photo - 
although... the stars are still hanging there from Christmas - ha.

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