A Lessson Learned

[I am sorry that I have not posted in quite awhile. I realize that my next post was suppose to be about our love story and the awesome ways God worked within it. I am having a hard time organizing my thoughts in a manner in which you can best understand all the ways God showed up and showed off, so for now that story will wait...I promise we will return to it. Today, however, I want to tell you a different story. A story about how a young woman's choice to live an authentic life impacted me.]


A couple of years ago I was sitting in Sunday school class when one of the other young women from the group walked in. Her name is Megan and she is beautiful. This Sunday in particular she looked especially pretty. She was wearing a new blouse. Her hair was pinned up in a lovely fashion. Her nails were even manicured.


I on the other hand did not feel very pretty. I was Mom to two infant sons and I was exhausted. My hair was pulled back in what had become my norm...a ponytail. My make up had not made it's way out of my purse and onto my face. I was wearing the boys breakfast and I am pretty sure I myself had not had any breakfast. I looked exactly how I felt...EXHAUSTED!


I must be honest with you here. I felt....well....jealous. Jealous that I did not have the time, energy, or money to look like that! When my sister, who had missed class that morning asked me about the lesson after church, I had to be honest with her and tell her that I had paid little attention to the lesson and far more of the time comparing myself to Megan. Wendy a mom to 8 (10 now, soon to be 11) could certainly relate and together we shared a laugh over the situation.


The next day Wendy called me. She had ran into Megan at the drug store and had caught her up on our conversation (Megan is a dear friend).  This is what Megan told Wendy to tell me: that really pretty "new" blouse was a hand me down she had been given earlier that week, her "manicured" nails she had done herself one night when she couldn't sleep, and the reason her hair was pinned up was because she had not had time to wash it.


WOW! Here I was thinking that she had it all together, that she was living the dream...while I had not even had time to take a nap. The reality was...she was a mess too! A beautiful mess...but still a mess.


I am so very thankful that Megan was real with Wendy and myself that day. She could have simply blushed at the compliment and said thank you. She could have been fake and said "Oh! I try." Instead, she was real. She was honest. She was authentic.


And do you know what God did with that. He used it! He used it to speak encouragement into the life of a young mother.  To assure her that no one has it all together. And to let her know that she was not alone.


Megan was one of the students in the youth group I worked with for several years. We've had some pretty deep talks. And I like to think that God used me to teach her a few things along the way. But if I were to real with you, if I were to be honest and authentic...I would have to admit that I think He used her to teach me far more in that moment than I taught her in all those years.


So my challenge to you this week...BE AUTHENTIC....BE REAL...BE HONEST...BE YOU (even if you are a mess)!