First off, I want to say that this is not talking about living without a filter on your mouth! We need to be a witness with our words as well as our actions. So don't go around saying that I said that you don't have to filter what you said. ;P
Okay. Now that we have that out of the way, we can get to the actual thoughts I wanted to share with y'all. :)
Lately I've been feeling like I've been trying to live my life through a filter. I want everything I do to be "Instagram worthy." I don't want to face the dirty dishes, the frustrating siblings, or the stressful struggles. All I want to see (and live) are the "perfect" snapshots of my life: my organized workshop, my open Bible with the coffee cup sitting by it, the progress I'm making in my different projects... and those handy filters on Instagram that sort of mask the real-life look of things and give everything in my life I choose to share a sort of "rose tinted glasses" look, making it all look a lot better than it is.
Speaking of my organized workshop...
I've been wanting to share that with y'all anyway, so this was the perfect opportunity. :) I work so much better in an organized workshop!
Rabbit trail over. Back to the other stuff.
The truth of it is, that picture-perfect life isn't really me right now. It's my ideal. But the real me? I'm going through a little bumpy period spiritually. I'm stressed and overwhelmed mentally (most days). And I'm dreadfully unorganized physically.
I haven't posted at all this week because of all of this. And honestly, I don't know if I'm going to post any of what I had originally planned for this week. I feel like I need to take a step back and reevaluate things. I'm not disappearing completely (I still plan to continue to post occasionally), but I need to get my focus back on track.
I need to get a fresh perspective of things, reevaluate goals, buckle down and get some things done, and find that tricky balance between dreaming and doing which is called living. I want to live an abundant life in Christ and learn to really abide in Him first and foremost. And then I want to live what I learn.
What has you stressed and overwhelmed today? Are you living through a filter, trying to live up to "Instagram standards" (or, for those of you who don't have social media, picture-perfect standards)? I want to encourage you today to step back, drop the filter, and be naturally and beautifully who God created you to be. Pursue the calling that He gave to you personally.
He made each of us to be our own unique person. And don't be ashamed of the real life - instead, look for the blessings He abundantly showers on you in that messy, stressful life! Be real. Be you. (Even if it means washing dishes and changing dirty diapers 24-7. You're still amazing!)
It's hard. But eventually you'll look back and see just how good that real, un-perfect life was.