Skip to main content

Sunny Side Up

 



"Flip the cushions to the good side," is what I said to myself while in preparation for many houseguests that are to arrive in two days.  Our patio furniture has been put to good and frequent use. We keep the cushions cruddy-side up to make sure it's brother, sunny-side stays clean for visitors. Our home is never as clean as it is before we have guests. Can you relate?

Why is it we feel the need to give an appearance of a spotless home and perfect life?  Could it be we want to impress others with an illusion that we have it all together? You know, the joker-sized smile on Sunday morning.  Children perfectly posed on our latest Facebook post. A successful career that affords lavish trips. No one has to know that the smile we wear is to hide the tears from a fight with our loved one. That it took 20 takes before getting the one good picture of our kids. That the 5 day beach trip came after 360 days of a high-stress, unrewarding job. 

We seem to worry more about what others think of us and less about living authentically. God is omniscient and already knows everything we will think, say or do (past, present and future).  Thankfully, He is the only one who has it all together and He has made it so we do not have to rely on ourselves but on Him. We don't need to air all of our dirty laundry to the public, but  we do need to confess sin to each other and pray for each other so that we may be healed. (James 5:16) When we are honest with God and each other, two amazing things happen. The light of Jesus breaks through what is dark and covered and guides our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:79) and our transparency helps lead others to feel they too can do the same.

I'd like to say that I didn't think about those cushions after this but it just isn't so. Old habits die hard. As I went to turn them over, I realized one side looked just like the other. Should anyone notice or comment my response will be: "This is me, living authentically."




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seasons of Life

  “Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?”   Stevie Nicks wrote these lyrics in 1973. I have listened to Landslide more times than I can count, and each time it hits right in the gut. It’s a song about change. About fear, love, aging, and the quiet questions we all carry as life keeps moving forward.   As   I listened again recently, with the end of another year approaching, I found myself reflecting on the last twelve months. This has been a year! I’m not even sure what adjective fits best. Crazy maybe. Long. Unexpected.   Sometimes life throws so many curveballs at such an accelerated speed, all you can do is try to keep up so they don’t knock you down.   2025 has been filled with a plethora of lessons in love, humility , fear, doubt, grief, and joy. They didn’t all come easy. But then again, we were never promised easy.   In fa...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Waited.

  I beckoned you to come near, but my way didn’t look like what you wanted.   The lights of the night drew you in, Pulling you into dark corners.   I waited.   You searched for acceptance   in people with empty promises and hollow souls.     You longed for love, not realizing it was mine you needed all along.   I waited.   You turned toward me in moments in need, in fear but each time, you pulled back thinking the distance was too great to cross.   I waited.   The end of your rope seemed to get longer.   Still, I waited.   Your choices led to pain. Things once whole began to fall apart.  What you held onto slipped through your hands.   I was there. I waited.   Then, gently, I opened your eyes to what you had been chasing And your heart to what had been chasing you all along.     And when you finally stopped running There I was,   exactly where I had always been. Waiting.  
Post a Comment
Read more

Journey with God

Did you know there’s a bird famous for holding the world record for the longest nonstop flight from Alaska all the way to Australia? It traveled over 8,000 miles in just 11 days! I stumbled upon an article about the Bar-tailed Godwit while mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, and I’ll admit, I didn’t know anything about this bird before. These fascinating shorebirds escape the harsh winter for warmer climates. My first thought was, why don’t they just stop somewhere closer along the way? According to experts, stopping earlier often means landing in places with less food, more competition and predators, and poor habitats for their long bills. The Godwit’s long nonstop flight reduces these dangers. Even more impressive, these birds begin preparing for their expedition several weeks in advance. They don’t need to eat during their journey because they gorge for 1 to 2 months before departure, building up fat reserves. A few weeks before migration, their digestive organs shrink to reduce ...
Post a Comment
Read more