Protected: It Begins
January 22, 2009
Real: Up Close and Personal
January 21, 2009
photo credit: preciouskhyatt
When the concept of surrendering and getting real began to surface in my life, I had mixed feelings. Mostly fear and excitement, but some anxiety and wariness as well.
When the excitement hit, I started envisioning a blog post. It was based on the fact that Christians are to confess our sins to each other, and failure to do so creates physical, emotional, and spiritual sickness in our lives. [Truth be told, over half of the sickness treated by the medical community today has a spiritual root, such as the failure to confess sins. (I would venture to say it is probably closer to 80-90%.)]
I began to think of how we are all afraid to reveal our weakness and failures, despite the fact that we each have them. How powerful would it be if someone were to take that first step and say, “This is me, the real me. I fail, I hurt those I love, I do bad things when no one is looking. I struggle, I stumble, I think more of myself than I do of others. I lie, I cheat, I am the master of denial. I try hard, do better for awhile, then fail miserably. I am broken. I am human. I am a Christian.”?
If I could interview someone who was willing to be real, maybe others could see their faults are similar, and that it’s ok to be real with each other. But then the voice of reason chimed in and asked me where I would find such a person willing to submit themselves to public scrutiny- nowhere, that’s where.
Then, I got an email. Several emails in fact, from Lance at Jungle of Life. We were discussing surrender and getting real and I gave him the link to listen to my pastor’s sermon. He listened, and it hit him like it was hitting me. I never told him about my desire to do a “real interview”. I asked him to write out his thoughts on the sermon and see if we were both hearing the same thing. We were. And this is what Lance sent me:
Real.
What is that, anyway?
I am a Christian, a faithful servant seeking peace and love in this world we’re in.
Is that real? Is that how I live my life?
Or is it a little uglier than that?
I can get up on a Sunday morning and spend a couple of hours praising God. It will be all about showing love for Jesus. What happens, though, when I leave that moment I’ve had? What about the other 166 hours during the week? Am I continuing to show my love for God? Am I acting like the Christian I claim to be – one of love and mercy? Or perhaps, do I wear a different mask, one that fits the image I think society expects of me? And, if I’m doing this – wearing a mask over my true convictions – what does this say for being real?
Or maybe “real” is something altogether different.
What kind of barriers am I putting up every hour of every day? Barriers to protect the “who I really am”. Barriers to not let my guard down, to not let out any secrets that might not “fit” with the image others expect to see. I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at, and I don’t want to lose parts of that because I don’t match the standard people are expecting. How often have I “changed” just to protect an image. And how “real” is that?
Lies.
What about God in all of this? God loves us just the way we are. Are we perfect? Hardly. I’m a sinner (there, I said it!). I believe in a God who sent His son, Jesus, our Christ, to die for us. For these sins I’m committing. Yet, I hide behind walls to protect myself. What am I protecting? Am I concerned about what other might think? If they only knew…
- I’ve yelled at my kids for no reason at all
- I’ve shunned my wife because of my own selfish pride
- I’ve belittled others for no reason at all
- I’ve put on the face of a happy marriage, on days when things have been ugly
- I’ve shouted obscenities to the driver in the lane beside me
…and surely worse. Does this change your view of me? …because I haven’t shown these characteristics before? It’s easy, here at computer and keyboard – to become who we desire to be. Is that real, though? Or is this just another way to put up walls. To protect that image of what we want to be known for? Secrets hidden, for a life we want to believe is us.
We are “real”, all of us. Yet, we hide that “real” all too often. It’s time to let the “real” you out, and trust that there are people out there who will encourage you, support you, trust you, and love you. Your life is meant to be lived, and that’s about being real and being authentic.
Real.
What is that, anyway?
Louder Than Words
January 11, 2009
Things have been pretty quiet here. But that’s okay.
When you get alone with God…and honor and embrace Him
for all that He is…
- Holy
- Changeless
- Powerful
- Peaceful
- Generous
- Genuine
- All-knowing
- Blessed
- Beautiful
- Glorious
- Jealous
- Just
- Righteous
- The source of all truth, wisdom, goodness…. love
- Eternal
- Perfect
…you may find yourself speechless. But that’s okay.
“Be still and know that I am God.”~ Psalm 40:10
Sometimes,
silence
speaks louder than a scream.
That awe-filled silence comes before complete surrender.
What Christmas Means
December 23, 2008
Hello! I am starting to feel human again, and this new-fangled diet has my figure looking good! 
This is just a quick post to let you know I have a guest post up over at Writer Dad’s. You all know the address, I’m sure. Sean asked for a guest posting long before the flu hit, and I wanted to make sure I delivered. It’s not my best writing, but it still has heart.
I plan to post a full-length doozie for you tomorrow. So if you’re not to busy shopping, wrapping, cooking, and visiting, stop by for some warm Christmas cookies and coffee for a few. See you then. 
Is it hot in here?
December 19, 2008
104 fever= hallucinatory blogging. Be back soon, I hope. 
Go Granny!
December 8, 2008
OK, Because this is finals week for me, This week will most likely be wonky. Just to jump start things, here’s a hilarious video I got in an email this weekend. There’s an annoying ad thingy in the beginning. Just wait it out, it’s worth it.
There will probably a normal post sometime later today, so check your reader when you get a minute.
