But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:7-8
Earlier this week, someone told me I am the most well adjusted person he knows. To really appreciate this comment, it should be said this is an exceptionally wise person. If he weren’t a resident of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, he’d probably live high in the Himalayan Mountains. People would climb the treacherous cliffs just to ask him deep questions about the meaning of life. Then, he would stroke his long, white beard thoughtfully and answer with something like, “Life is like macaroni and cheese…” and no one would understand his philosophical and enigmatic responses. This is why I started to wonder how I could seem so well adjusted—like I said, he’s a super smart dude.
Kids of preachers and pastors (P.K.’s) are often skilled at making it look like we’ve got it all figured out. Even if no one ever tells you to get your act together because the members of your father’s congregation are looking at you, you can sense it. You sit on the front pew and feel the eyes boring in to your ponytail. You just know they’re watching to see if you fight with your sisters or get too many desserts at the Sunday night potluck dinner. After a while, it’s possible to forget what you really think or feel and only live in the expectations you’ve absorbed from that front pew.
But it’s not just for P.K.’s. Being truly authentic will always be a struggle for some of us. And now, with the advent of Facebook, it’s even harder. We’ve all become professional image consultants and fact spinners. We’ll post parenting failures and cooking disasters but only to the extent we can control the story. We want to look fallible without looking like a total failure. It’s like the girl who said, “I know this is bad but I’ve never donated blood before. I feel horrible about it but you have to weigh more than 100 lbs.” Yeah, you feel really bad about being TOO SKINNY. That’s like a backhanded compliment, but with opposite intentions.
Of course, it’s possible to be overly transparent. Status updates about eating your placenta or how your marriage is falling apart may be crossing the line. Mark Zuckerberg may think that should be in my newsfeed but I beg to differ. Transparency is one thing. Ripping open your guts and showing us the contents of your large intestines are another.
So how do I live a life of authenticity? How do I set aside what others think of me and just be honest? Does it involve not wearing mascara and never shaving my legs? Who knows. Maybe it’s different for everybody. What I do know is that I prefer to spend time with people who are honest about their flaws but not consumed by them. They are so busy being interested in others they don’t have time to focus on their own mess. Their mess is out there, not white-washed and swept under the rug, but there for a reason—to keep them humble and grounded and accessible.
I can’t say it any better than The Velveteen Rabbit:
“’Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’
‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit.
‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’
‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’
‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.’”
Many thanks to Abby Rosser for our guest post today. Abby is the author of Oh to Grace and a weekly columnist for “The Daily News Journal.” You can follow her on abbyrosser.com.
Oh? I’ve been attracted to memes all my life and didn’t realize it. I especially remember back in high school when I had posters plastered all over my bedroom walls. They were mostly outdoor scenes and cute animal pictures with pithy sayings that made me smile and feel good. And now I collect internet memes by saving them to My Photos on my iPhone. I like some funny ones, but mostly I save memes that make me stop and think.
The Oxford Dictionary says the word “meme” originated in the 1970’s from the Greek word “mimema” which means “that which is imitated.” The definition from Wikipedia says a meme is “an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.”
right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.” (Proverbs 1:2-6 NIV)
It’s great for when I’m a little worried or feeling down but don’t have a lot of time to search the Bible or to call someone. I just start scrolling through my pictures and I don’t have to go very far before one sparks a memory about somebody or starts a deeper thought process and I start praying.
The mobile Bible app called “YouVersion” includes a built in menu option to make your own memes from any Bible verse. The app calls it making “Verse Images.” You can make a meme and then save it to your phone or share with social media.
keepitsimplesweetie.org 