Have you ever NOT posted something to social media because in the background there were dirty clothes, or a few toys on the floor? Have you ever positioned your camera just right while video chatting so the person watching couldn't see the mess behind you?
I have.
Oh how I wish my house was always spotless, always Johanna Gaines decorated, always ready for company at any moment.
But alas, there is not enough time in the day for all the chores of life.
And while I do agree with the advice I was given when my kids were small to prioritize time with them over a perfectly clean house, I also of course want to teach my kids good housekeeping habits and being outnumbered... well, our house can be destroyed much faster than it can be cleaned.
I was reminded of this yesterday when my son sent a video message that proudly displayed their messy room. And let me tell you, I was mortified. I wanted to die of embarrassment. Now, I could go into all the reasons why it was messy.. how busy our lives have been, how booked up our weekends seem to stay, how between homework and dinner and baths there just isn't a lot of time in the day... but truthfully, when it boils down to it... their room is out of sight, and therefore... out of my mind. While it's on their daily chore list to keep it tidy, it's also a smaller room that they both share and so it's just jam packed full of things that make it easy to become disorganized. It's easy to close their door and not realize how bad it gets in there. (This is where I get a trash bag and start donating all their toys to free up space.)
Back to my humiliation. After talking to him about how we don't video our messy room and show people- well, we spent the next hour organizing.
But I realized I was wrong to get on to him. I fussed at him because of embarrassment that the room wasn't "perfect." I didn't want him showing anyone the mess because well.. it's a representation of us, and if our house is a mess, maybe people will think we are a mess... it was a pride thing.
But in reality, should we be afraid for others to see our messy homes? Or to bring it in perspective, should we be afraid for others to know that we as in, our lives are messy and not perfect? Should we be afraid to be real?
I will be real right now, y'all. Kids are gross. Kids are messy. Kids have much more energy than I do. Kids don't come into the world knowing how to keep things tidy. And living with them means occasionally there will be messy rooms that need organizing again.
So, what? What was I afraid of?
I suppose it was just that feeling of opening up in a vulnerable way that allows others to see that I don't always have my life figured out. But of course, like everyone else.. there are moments where I get overwhelmed and can't get it all done. I am sometimes.. a mess.
And that's okay.
Isn't that why God sent Jesus? Not to clean our messy homes but to clean our messy lives. To redeem us. To help us overcome sin. To accept his help we have to realize the mess we are in. And just as I helped my kids to reorganize their toys, God helps us reorganize our lives to get rid of the chaos and bring order.
He sees our mess, and he loves us through it. So stop angling cameras just right to hide the imperfection.. show the world that the imperfection is being transformed daily into something new. Something clean.
It's okay to let others know you don't have it all together- in housework, or in life. That's part of being human. Its also okay to ask for organization advice from people who are naturally more gifted in keeping tidy houses! 😂
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.- PS. 51:10
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