Real

I’ve been thinking about perception and presentation lately. And also alliteration, it seems... Part of the reason behind my instant friendship, bonding, and absolute sisterhood with Reb (maverick mum - I know, claim to fame) was that we both knew we could be raw from the absolute get go. Something people generally lack, particularly on social media. Shouldn't we just get a little more raw?

Credit, I admit, is owed since Reb never really had a choice but to BE raw because we all know Reuben innocently shares with us when she’s eaten his sweets or broken a fidgety transformer toy. 

Yet still, little is held back. I share my trials and tribulations about how I think I’m possibly going crazy (no worries pals, it wasn’t me losing it this time) or how the local spar was sold out of Pepsi max. We talk about addictions and funny things Reuben has said and how the people in a church are the church. 

I believe the raw honesty of this is also why so many invested in Reb’s blog. 

And on that note - if this is what we are drawn to, why aren’t we engaging in it more?

Having recently (undoubtedly temporarily) deleted the Instagram app, my day-to-day routine has changed substantially with the benefit of an extra few grains of iCloud memory. I’m not relentlessly scrolling. I’m no longer perfecting real-life moments of bliss to camera-suited boomerangs. Most importantly, I am not on the outskirts of a facade of perfection. 

Rather than viewing my life through a worldly filter, it has been much easier to see through the lens of Christ. Looking in a mirror I still despise my legs, but that does not dictate my day, because I see them as functioning legs. God gave me this pair with this ability and this shape for a reason. Why they couldn't have been smaller I will never know. Yet I continue to trust God's hand in every minuscule detail. It was only after the Fall that Adam and Eve recognises their nakedness. Likewise, the presence of sin in this world is what provokes us to hide and be ashamed, as well as overly aware of our bodies. Disclaimer: I am not telling you to stop wearing clothes. I am saying that God did not make man to measure his thighs or calculate his worth by the prominence of his ribs. Stop living a life measured by what you see and ask God to help you see from His perspective. That is one of sacrificial love, raw honesty, and a transforming desire.

Social media is a facade. Few people post the reality of their life. I mean, who can blame them? When I share my struggles online, it is often in a past-context. I don’t want to not have the answers or still be incredibly lost. Rather, I aim to share with the hope to encourage or guide as opposed to sharing to be real. Yet, real is what we need to be. Let’s be honest, no one really cares what you had for lunch, and we don’t need physical proof that you had a bath yesterday evening. It is a tough balance and ironically, yeah, I don’t have the answer. 

You have to take all online data with a pinch of salt, though. The person who seems to always be on holiday or always tanned or always getting perfect grades has bad days too. The guy who posts his gym pictures every day needs to learn to take a rest day; you’re not lazy because you don’t follow that same routine. The girl with yet another clothes delivery probably returned the entirety of her last one. The Christian posting their perfected journaling Bible is maybe hearing God for the first time in weeks; it’s not a sign of the mountaintop. 

A small glimpse is never an accurate representation. More than that, however, I want to encourage you to get real. Get real with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Get real with your church family. Get real with your best friend. Get real with God. Especially with God - He already knows the truth of your situation.

I'm not going to lie, I cannot do superficial. I despise small talk. Great, your life is 'good', but what does that even mean to you? What ticks you off in work? Who are you working on forgiving? Why did you start running; what are you running from? I don't really care what book you are reading. But I want to know, what is it teaching you? How is your walk with God?  What is it that you hate about raisins so much? Or more importantly, why does anyone like raisins at all?

You don’t have to scream about your lows and highs to the world as I assure you, the world will continue to say you haven’t been low enough or high enough. You do have to get real, regardless. Take off your mask of perfection And contentment. No one really believes it anyway. 

Get real with somebody. It will change your relationship.

Get real with God. He will change everything.

Take care,

'The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.' - Psalm 145:18