K for Kim Says......

(here's another post from my guest blogger, Kim.)

Keepin' it Real:

Okay – so now that I’m a sort-of-blogger, my life has suddenly gotten more interesting. At least to me. I find myself going through the daily grind writing a fabulous story about all the previously mundane things in my life.

You know you do it, too.

For some, it’s a soundtrack in your head as your child plays his or her sport. For others, it’s a romance novel in which your husband sweeps you off your feet again and again. You could be that scrap-booker who is documenting a picture-perfect life. Or like me, you could be writing some fabulous story of how you’re saving the world by your amazing talents… or something like that.

All of which has gotten me thinking…why is it we think we need a better life?

I know you all have at least one friend that sends the dreaded Christmas letter. You know the one. Everything in her life is absolutely perfect – which makes your own life seem so pathetic by comparison. Her kids are the smartest, best-looking, most courteous, highest-achieving kids ever born. Her husband treats her like a queen, is the perfect dad, and gets a promotion every single year. She hand-sews all their clothes, cooks certified organic gourmet meals, volunteers all over town, and looks better than she did in high school. Oh and don’t forget - they spent the whole summer in Europe. Blah, blah, blah. (Okay – I am making a little bit of that up. But you know what I mean.)

Sometimes I feel like we are all trying to prove something. Trying to “one-up” each other. Keep up with the Joneses.

How about just being real?

Oh, it’s not easy. The make-believe life is much more fun! But what are we saying to ourselves – and to our husbands, our kids, our friends - when we can’t be authentic people even when life is hard, when it’s mundane – maybe even a little boring?

There’s no glory in scrubbing the toilet, doing endless loads of laundry, or cleaning up dog vomit. (Yes, I did that today.) Believe me, housework is the absolute lowest thing on my list of priorities. If you’ve ever been over here, you know that is an understatement! But keeping house shows a grateful spirit for what we’ve been given – both to God and to the one who is working so hard to pay for it all. Doesn’t have to be perfect…just making the effort counts (at least that’s what I’m hoping!)

I’d rather be shopping than driving kids all over town but by being their chauffeur, I’m showing them that I want to be a part of their lives (and I do!) – not to mention I get to hear all kinds of interesting things, especially if a chatty classmate has come along for the ride! I also hope they are learning what it means to work together by going through the process of “making it all happen.” We all have to give up a little to make it work for the group – a little self-sacrifice can go a long way in keeping the peace in our house full of individual agendas.

And the hard stuff? Like disappointments, loss, illness, suffering…even death. Those are a part of our life story, too. Accepting those, and seeing God in them is part of growing up. And I’m not talking about the kids here. Yes, they learn through those - I’m hoping they are learning what it is to lean on God because they see me doing that. It’s not at all glamorous. Sometimes it is painful. The soundtrack in your head (if there is any) is melancholy and doesn’t always resolve nicely in the end. But you know as well as I do that where real life is - where real growth happens - is in the hard times…where God is all you’ve got.

As I’m going through my days, I hope I can find contentment and fulfillment in my real life…in all of it.And I’m hoping my real life is the same as the one in playing in my head.