The Word of the Year...Authenticity!

I'm blogging through Jill Savage's latest release; No More Perfect Moms. And if you order it through the 9th, Moody publishing and Hearts at Home have teamed up to give you some great FREE resources. What a deal! What a Book!

I'm blogging about chapter 1 today; "The Perfection Infection". We all have it. It's ingrained in us. Even the very first humans thought, after listening to the serpent, there was something better than Paradise and broke the only rule they were given. Nowadays, that comparison game is perpetuated by television, advertising, and social media. But those images are all carefully cleaned up, presented beautifully, decidedly unrealistic. When we compare our messy real lives to those images we set ourselves up for failure, because we're comparing apples to oranges. We've no idea what's going on behind the scenes.

Even worse, we compare ourselves to each other. Again, we've no idea what goes on behind the scenes. I once heard a sermon illustration that illustrates this well:
"Oh, Lord, this cross is just too heavy for me. I cannot carry it any longer."
"Very well, my child. I will take it from you and put it in this room full of crosses. Now you choose which one you would like to carry."
The room was full of crosses, old and gnarled, fresh and still green. All large and heavy. Finally, in a corner, tucked away, I found one that seemed smaller than the rest. "This one, Lord. I think I can manage this one."
"But, my child, that's the one you came in with."
We all have challenges. None of us are alone, though we may feel isolated in our walk. Other women face the same struggles and challenges. the same social media that can increase our comparison games can give us access to support and strength from moms in and through the trenches we face.

Finally, we are all "contaminated" with perfection infection, but freedom can be found in authenticity. See, we are called to holiness - to be like Christ out of love for Christ. However, the perfection Jill is talking about is the one we strive for to be seen by men; to make people think better of us. We often wear masks to accomplish that - cleaning up our outsides so no one can see our frail humanness, our brokenness. But all it takes is honesty about the struggle, the challenge, the love and joy found through the challenges and struggles. One person is honest and that gives the next person courage to share some of their messiness. That humility brings us closer to holiness.

New Year's Resolutions don't last long, usually. By March, they've petered out. So I've joined the bandwagon of those who advocate a word for the year. Instead of grandiose plans for change that concupiscence overcomes, it distills your goals down to one word. Easily remembered. A focus. My word for this year? Authenticity. Keeping it real. Really for Him.