Deployment Post Series 3 of 10

Picture: girlies becoming buddies 

Don’t let mess in the emotional or physical sense keep you from letting others in. Often we want to only invite others in when we feel homes are clean and lives put together. But people feel most comfortable when they are not- it reminds us we are all human.

I needed others so much on this deployment. Many saw the mess in our lives. Yes the physical mess- dirty dishes, toys everywhere, laundry piled so high. But also the mess of my sin, my anger, the mess of parenting a toddler and a baby, the mess of my need and my weakness and my inability to do it all. 

Sometimes I think we want to make our lives look perfect - a clean house, children that behave, a put together meal, a “got it together” marriage or career we are rocking. It can be exhausting. Why do we do this? Lots of reasons I think but mostly maybe we are afraid of 1) admitting to ourselves that none of those things are perfect and 2) showing others those things aren’t perfect. The irony is we often think that maybe others will like us more if we show them the perfect side but in life and especially deployment I’ve found such deeper friendships and bonds formed in the imperfect- women laughing over our imperfections, celebrating that we don’t have it all together but we can run to someone who can heal us and help us (Jesus). I found that the more I opened up the hardest parts of what I was going through with others, the more honest others would share in return and the more authentic our relationships became.

Admitting you are weak. No this does not feel good. However it has POWER. It invites God in to your life and heart and soul and mind. It allows you to see your need for Him. It allows others to unite in the common thread of: we all need each other. We can’t do this alone. 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 

Let’s shout and share our weakness that Christ may be made known. 

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