The Raw Truth

I was chatting with a friend today when she happened to mention that she doesn’t read many blogs because they tend to show the “perfect” side of peoples’ lives.  This got me wondering if my blog does that.  Do I only show the good and hide the bad?  It’s important to be authentic and real and not pretend everything is always just right, because the truth is that things aren’t just right more often than they are.  Life is messy, relationships are messy, and most of all, kids are messy.  I have a life, many relationships, and two kids.  So in the spirit of honesty, I’m here to share a few not-so-fine moments in my life:

·      Everyone who knows me knows that I can’t cook.  My children eat lots of shells and cheese, croissant sandwiches, and chicken nuggets.  I try my best, but this is a major area of failure for me.

·      When Jayson and I started dating, I lived in Boston and he lived in Fresno.  I would call him every night before I went to sleep to say good night, and he insisted that we pray together before we got off the phone.  It took a LONG time for me to get used to it, but now I’m grateful because it has enriched our marriage very much.  However, I have to confess that there are many, many nights when I get into bed, lay my head on my pillow – and completely pass out.  Prayers are forgotten, but I know I’m forgiven.

·      My kids often eat dinner while watching tv.  There, I said it.

·      Jayson and I fight.  We are different in a lot of ways, and we are both opinionated and strong-willed.  We get angry, we have it out, we give each other space, and then we make up.  I hate that we argue, but we do.

·      I spend way too much time on facebook.  I lack self-control in this area.  I enjoy keeping up with my friends and family all over the world.  I know that my time can be much better spent on more productive things, but I like facebook.

I could easily go on, but I won’t.  I know I’m not perfect, but surprisingly, my desire for perfection ends up paralyzing me instead of motivating me.  There’s always something that can be better, cleaner, or more organized, but my family is healthy and we live for the Lord and, ultimately, that’s all that matters.

And I’ll try to remind myself of that the next time Jayson and I fight about the boys eating chicken nuggets in front of the tv while I’m on facebook.

OK, I’m getting off my shoebox now.