Friday, August 1, 2014

My “Not-So-Perfect” Life & “Being Blessed”

Sooooo….you know how everyone puts their best foot forward on social media? I’ve read whole articles about it. Honestly, I feel like I try to keep it pretty real over here. I post a good bit of our daily stuff, which is pretty mundane if ya ask me. I’m not really sure why anyone would want to read that unless it’s to make you feel better about yourself (ha!) or maybe so you can learn from all my mistakes? (Ahem…like the time I let Jase run diaperless, walked in the laundry room for two seconds, and returned to both a terd and puddle of pee in the floor. At least I spared y’all the pictures.)

I will continue to blog about our weekly and monthly updates because it’s the easiest way I have personally found to document and reference, and it COULD help someone in the process. Maybe it’s not legit helpful like some of the other mommy bloggers’ pages…maybe it just makes you feel better to know you’re not the only doofus mom who gave your 10 month old honey nut cheerios and then spent hours on the phone with the emergency nurse hotline because you’re not supposed to give babies honey? Oh wait, I’m the only one who did that?? (Maybe I would be better off writing a “what not to do” blog! haha!)

Plus, as ashamed as I am to admit this, I think I have momnesia. I used to have this jam up memory, and all of the sudden I can’t remember ANYTHING. I seriously have no clue when Jase did anything. Sometimes my friends will text me and be like “When did Jase…” & I totally have to play it off because I seriously have no clue. First tooth? First time sleeping through the night? First time crawling? Walking? First word? Seriously, I can’t answer any of those. (Yes, I am aware that any hopes of my “mom of the year award” just got revoked upon that admission). In all seriousness, thank goodness for this blog!! (Plus, I like to have it printed into blog books so the kids will have it in the future.)

There have been a few times I have almost shut the blog down or gone private (mostly for safety reasons), but I truly 100% believe this has become a ministry for me. After praying about it, the Lord revealed to me I need to continue blogging and be even more bold in sharing what the Lord has taught or is currently teaching me. I know there are other women going through similar issues who can relate & need that some godly encouragement. I am so thankful for every friend I have made through this blog and for all of the awesome relationships that have come about as a result of some seriously awesome readers. You guys are some of the BEST people, whom I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to “meet” (or at least e-mail) if it weren’t for this fun little space on the internet.

That being said, I do want to admit that while I try to keep it “real,” I absolutely do NOT always blog about super personal issues & struggles. If it’s a devotion or something the Lord has taught me and lays on my heart to share, then I do. But regarding trials, I typically don’t…for a few reasons. For one, I think it’s important to keep some personal matter private, especially when it affects someone else (who may not want their biz put out there on my blog). I also like to keep it as upbeat and positive on the blog as possible. Our world is SO FULL of negativity, why in the world would anyone want to come here to read more of that? All you have to do is turn on the news for 5 minutes if that’s what you want. I want this to be a breath of fresh air!! And to be honest? I DESPISE negativity. Don’t get me wrong- real life means real issues. And again, my life is not perfect…I have my fair share of issues! (Ask my hubby!)  Some people like to blog about them, and I can respect that. Writing is a great outlet, which is yet another reason I LOVE this blog. However, I have found it more effective for me to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY through issues as opposed to writing them out. Then, if the Lord lays it on my heart to do so, I will share that struggle with all of you. (Like I did my feelings on having a c-section or losing my brother. Y’all are so supportive & encouraging and that means so much to me.)

Anyway, what prompted this post was a conversation with my best friend the other day where she brought up that it might seem like my life is perfect from the outside looking in. (By the way, I am incredibly thankful for your friendship. For your wisdom & realness & unconditional love.) I can assure you, it is NOT. And I really don’t want to make it seem that way. But, we are BLESSED beyond measure and I want to make sure God gets the glory for that. I am so thankful for wonderful hubby & precious little Jase, for my sweet parents & family, for my true friends, for our health, a home we love, an awesome church family, and extremely fulfilling ‘career’ that has provided us with a lot of freedoms & options. I know the Lord has blessed us tremendously and we try to be good stewards of those blessings. More than anything, we know any of them can be taken away at any moment, and we are thankful to have them right now and want to give God ALL of the glory. It’s nothing we’ve done, and every bit favor from the Lord.

I recently read a few things about the phrase “so blessed” being entirely overused these days, and I couldn’t disagree more. I think our nation has a big case of ungratefulness, covetouseness, & complaining and negative attitudes. We are not thankful for all of the gifts we’ve been given, and I feel as if it’s a slap in the face to God. I get that we all have issues, but seriously? As a nation, we are BLESSED and I personally appreciate when people acknowledge that. (No, I’m not saying we should be all “New Michael Kors purse…so blessed!” That’s ridiculous.) But giving the Lord a shout out for your husband? Your health? Healthy children? A roof over your head? An answered prayer? Yes, it is okay to publicly acknowledge blessings and be genuinely give God the glory!! I love to hear about the Lord working in the lives of others & how he is blessing them.

God knows your heart. If it is about making others jealous or being boastful, God will not honor that. But giving him glory? He LOVES that!!

So if you’re wondering, my life ain’t perfect yo. I hope it doesn’t seem like I try to portray that either. But I do like to keep it POSITIVE. I LOVE being around positive people, so of course that’s the kind of person I want to be. (I think some people are naturally more positive, and others have to be more intentional in that. It is something that can be improved with effort and prayer though. Ultimately, it is a choice.) Plus, I feel it’s tough to be a negative person and truly radiate the love and JOY of the Lord. That just seems contradictory to me.

If it makes you feel better, I do have issues & trials and struggles. (And if that does make you feel better, that’s kind of sad and you may want to truly examine your heart.) God is good & faithful to bring us through anything the enemy or our own sinful nature may bring our way.

Thanks for following along with us and our journey! We love you guys.

“When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” –Luke 12:48

“so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD." –1 Corinthians 1:31

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

(Long time reader, first time commenter.) I enjoy how positive and upbeat you are. I think it goes without saying that all real lives also have trials, but I understand why you wrote this post. I am 100% with you - I try to keep it real, but I very rarely post anything that is simply negative on my social media accounts, and this is intentional. You have just found a beautiful way to articulate how I have been using social media as positive space and why. You have been a great inspiration to me, especially in my marriage and in terms of health and fitness. I love that your blog is place of encouragement and gratitude, and it regularly adds value to my daily life. Thank you! - Jennifer S, Canada

Anonymous said...

I am reading your blog as a sixteen year-old and loving every second of it! It's so real! It has really strengthened my resolve to be a Stay At Home Mom! This blog is a blessing to read!
Emma

Anonymous said...

I agree that I think this is a ministry. Your advice on being a Godly wife drew me to your blog and your relationship with The Lord and your family and your positive outlook have made me a return reader. Thank you for all the good (and more importantly the messages of God) you put into the world!

Anonymous said...

First, I absolutely think your blog is wonderful and a great ministry to women, and I do appreciate that. Just a thought - if you ever do go private, maybe some of your non-family posts should stay live on a separate blog. There is a lot of really great stuff tucked in here.

Second (and this is a question, not a criticism) why the term "blessed"? I must have read some of the same stuff that you did about how "blessed!" has become really overused, especially on social media. And I think part of the criticism is because some people actually are all "new purse!!....blessed!" which makes no sense, obviously. But my question is why "blessed" and not "thankful"? Maybe this is semantics, but blessed, to me, sounds like bragging. Like "hey- look at this good thing in my life! The end" Whereas thankfulness both expresses the fact that the person has a good thing going and is appreciative, you know? I would be really curious to hear thoughts on that.

Lastly - I just wanted to note that I have noticed how often you express thankfulness. So this is totally not directed at you. I don't want to make it seem like I'm kicking up dirt on your blog. And I'm curious to see whether anyone else has thoughts on this, which is why I didn't shoot you an email.

Noelle said...

Can I just say Amen sister! This was what I needed to hear today and I just love your blog and the ministry it has!

Ashley Brooke said...

Love this!

Anonymous said...

Well, I am especially glad to see you blogging regularly again. I've really missed it! I find you inspirational and motivating. Keep em' coming!!!- Cindy Vance

DallasM said...

I have been reading your blog for awhile now. I really enjoy reading it and it encourages me. I to enjoy encouraging others through a blog and just life in general. Thank you for saying what you did on being Blessed as well. We should be giving God all the glory for the things we have! Keep on writing because I love reading your posts!

AliDawn said...

I LOVE reading your blog. I assume that we will never meet each other but I found you at a point in my life when I needed an amazing woman to follow. I can read neagtivity anywhere... but I come here for your positive outlook on life. It's very refreshing. NEVER change your stripes!

Alli H. said...

I, too, have been a longtime reader after finding your blog via Pinterest. I must agree that your life does appear to be "perfect," but I mean that in a relative sense of the word. Of course, nobody is perfect, but what I do see is someone who is helpful, faithful, grateful, healthy, loving and kind. You are trying to be as "perfect" as possible and it's something we all should strive for. I consider your blog an inspiration in many realms of my own life including motherhood, marriage, health and fitness and most importantly: in my own faith. I give you credit because in sharing your "perfect" life, you have inspired others to also strive for "perfection." Please do not make this blog private! I can attest to the fact that you are doing a good thing here. Thank you for all that you do share!

Allison said...

I have been reading your blog for almost two years now after seeing the post on how to be a Godly wife on pinterest. As a newly wed (two years in Oct) it has been encouraging for me to read about your journey as a Christian wife and mom. Thank you for posting what the Lord lays on your heart and giving me and many other example of what it means to follow Christ as a woman!