Honesty. Wait...what???

Honesty.

That's a word that has become subjective in our culture. I feel like it has become a thing of the past...a foreign concept, if you will. Allow me to explain.

Social media. Need I say more??? This is the epitome of dishonesty. I mean, come on, all of us have that picture-perfect photo of the family that you desperately wanted that makes you look like the all-american happy family. You know the one- where everyone's smiling lovingly at one another even though seconds before it was all, "you need to smile or else.....stop picking your nose and eating it......don't hit your sister with that.....look like you love each other!!!" Yeah...that one.

Or the before and after pictures of your completed DIY project that gets like 1,000 likes and makes you look like an expert DIYer. Except that the whole story is that you started it, screwed it up, started it again, screwed it up yet again, proceeded to throw stuff at it and yell and scream, took a deep breath and attempted it yet a third time where you had mild success. And then you used Instagram to edit the photo so it looked better than it looks in person. Yeah...that one.

Or the endless amount of photos of all the things you do each day successfully- making it look like you have it all together. When really you post those because the truth is too ugly to even admit.

That's just on social media. I haven't even addressed honesty face-to-face.

How many of us, when asked "How are you?", automatically respond with "Fine."??? Every. Single. Time. Even if we are barely holding it together.

And don't even get me started on the leadership of our country. But the most ironic thing is, is that we KNOW they are lying....they KNOW that we KNOW that they are lying....yet they still do it....and we allow it. Conundrum.

So...why? Why do we shy away from honesty? Why would we rather stick our heads in the sand of delusion than let people in on our reality?


Fear.


Fear trumps everything else. We fear being judged, shunned, bullied, pointed at,....exposed.

Do you know what's interesting though? Fear is nothing new. In fact, it started way back in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve chose to believe the lie of the enemy and after acting on it- fear entered into the world. They feared God's response to their sin so much that they tried to hide from Him. And the cycle has continued for generations since.

But now, instead of fearing God, we fear man. We are more afraid of someone else's opinion of us, that we cower to the demands of our culture. We don't dare even comprehend letting down our guard or facade because then people will see our junk and the dance will be over.

But is that really a bad thing?

I mean, keeping up appearances is exhausting isn't it?? Live any sort of lie long enough and it will zap any energy you have left in you. But what if we could be liberated from that? What if we were.....honest??

I know, crazy right? But what if we were? What if alongside of our social media posts we included the "real story" behind the photo? What if we opened up about our struggles with those around us? What would that look like?


Freedom.


You see, if we stop fearing man and start living for God instead, radical things happen. Now I'm not saying that you have to air your dirty laundry with everyone you cross paths with...please don't. That would be just...awkward. But let's stop living a fake life and start sharing our struggles along with our joys. Did you know that most people have junk they are dealing with too? What if you are dealing with the same thing someone else is but you both feel like you're alone in it?? Guess what? YOU'RE NOT!! But we have to be willing to be vulnerable in order for this to work. And it has to start somewhere.

So I will break the ice and be honest first. (Which if you've read previous posts of mine, you'll know I've already got that ball rollin'...) But here it goes:

-I hate mornings. I sleep in almost every morning. I'm not pleasant when I wake up in the morning. Fact. Basically....don't ask me anything until I've ingested at least 3/4 of my coffee.
-I don't make my kids breakfast every morning. They are old enough to make their own. So they do. They don't starve. They don't feel less loved. They are actually learning to be independent...which is the point of parenting really. So, you're welcome kids.
-I love watching TV/movies. Yep...I do. In fact, there are days that I would love nothing more than to lay in bed all day and do nothing else but that. True story. Not ashamed.
-I'm not great at cleaning. I have cobwebs...I rarely wash my windows....I don't mop my floor as much as I should. Truth.
-I don't have all the answers and sometimes I get angry at God. (GASP) And you know what? That's ok. God CREATED emotions. He gets it. Besides...we ALL get angry at Him sometimes. If you say you don't...you're lying. And news flash...He knows it all anyways. Just because I'm angry doesn't mean it changes my faith at all. I don't always understand what He is doing and that frustrates me sometimes. But I always get over myself and He's really good at being patient when I'm throwing a tantrum.

So that's a start. I've decided that I'm not afraid of honesty anymore because the chances that it can help someone are much more worth my exposure than the risk of judgement. So I hope you will join with me in this "honesty movement". Let's be real with one another. And let's use it to openly share the Gospel. Because you know what? Showing our weaknesses actually make Christ and His grace radiate even more brightly. I pray wholeheartedly that through our brokenness, He is glorified.