Keeping it real!

“I woke myself up snoring last night”     
Yep! You read that correctly. I woke myself up. (lol)
                                        
            …there I said it!
                        Just keeping it real.
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Also, while I am keeping it real, my kitchen sink is currently full of dishes, my bathrooms are overdue for a cleaning and my office looks like a tornado hit. Oh, Calgon take me away (or not since the bathtub is dirty).  And since I am keeping it real I want to testify to my firm belief and conviction in the existence of angels. Why? Because I am certain my 3 adult children would not be alive today if it had not been for their protective involvement while they were growing up. Example: Once when my oldest son was crawling (at 8 mos not now) I found a fork shoved into an outlet. Baby with a fork and no outlet cover - not a good combination. Don’t ask, but thank God for angels!  Also, I confess, at times I have prided myself on forgiving well but I have discovered this is mostly because I forget well. This is great for forgiving but not so great when it comes to things like birthdays and anniversaries. Nothing like springing to the store for a last minute gift, frustrated because you can’t find anything decent, and then wondering why that person decided to be born on that day anyways.

What is the point of this? You may be asking.

Answer:

“Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.” Matthew 16:6-7

They thought Jesus was chiding them for their failure to remember to bring bread. They thought He was rebuking them for their forgetfulness, their humanness. Yet, this was the furthest thing from His mind, the least of his concerns.

It is easier than you think to fall prey to the “leaven of the Pharisees”.  Painting a picture of perfection, only revealing what looks good, clean, together and tidy is a form of leaven. This kind of leaven puts a strangle hold on us and communicates a false reality to others.  An impossible standard. Truth is, none of us are perfect and to paint a picture of perfection becomes more about me than about Him and His super abundant grace.

I couldn’t be perfect if my life depended on it and thankfully because of His grace it doesn’t!

For our sake and the sake of others let’s “keep it real”. This gives people freedom to fail, make mistakes, forget and at times even “flake out”. Freedom for people to be who they are without fear of rejection for who they are not. Freedom for them to enjoy His great grace through us!

 I am not advocating being irresponsible or lazy but rather seeking to release the unnecessary tension of trying to maintain a perfect appearance.  Our goal is not human perfection but love from a pure heart connected to God’s. He loves us in our imperfection and desires for us to rest in His perfect grace!

                 So let’s “keep it real” and be known as
​                                                      people generous in grace!
                                       
​    “By the grace of God I am what I am…” 1 Corinthians 15:10

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