Being realBeing real means I carry the broken pieces that make me, the pieces that God has lovingly patched together in my heart, making something beautiful. Something real.

But sometimes being real is hard. It would be so much easier to pretend. Slap on a smile and wave.

I can hide behind a mask, but the truth is I want to be real.  I want to be loved and accepted for who I am; the good and the bad.

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Psalm 139:1-5

I find great comfort in the fact that He knows me, and that although I am broken, He continues to make something beautiful inside of me, despite of me.

I am real, because I want to offer hope, courage, and community to those that face the same challenges I do. Maybe in being real those that are hurting, struggling, or broken will know that they are not alone in this journey of life.

And so I stand broken, but real. Continuing to find beauty in brokenness, because of what God is doing in my life as He lovingly puts me together.

(What does being real look like for me? Read Confessions of a pastor’s wife – On being real)