It's not always as it appears

I really enjoy reading my friends' blogs. It's a great way to get ideas for your family and home, recipes, a good laugh, a good story, stay connected to those far away, etc... I love the world of blogs. But one thing that dawned on me lately is the utopian world we create with our blogs and the lack of honest reporting.

A friend of mine wrote a post called "Tough Days Happen". In it, she explained that we tend to report to the world all the great things that happen to us and our kiddos and all the fun things we do and how wonderful being a mom is, etc..., but we fail to really allow people into the "tough days" as she worded it. I loved that post. It's so true! Yes, being a mom is fantastic. Living in Oxford is fantastic. Being a stay at home mom is wonderful. My kids make me laugh. My husband is as perfect as they come. BUT even with all that greatness, I have some really tough days and go through some tough stuff.

So, if my blog portrays to everyone that I have this perfect little life and I never struggle with anything, and my kids are perfect, and life is just one big play date, then I am sorry. Really I am. Because that's not the honest truth and when people think you don't struggle and your life is perfect, it makes you a very unapproachable person. No one wants to be friends with someone who appears to have the perfect life because they seem unrelatable and superior.

So if I'm being honest with my readers, I struggle with several things in life. Specifically, I struggle with trusting my children to the Lord. I worry about them and the different stages they go through. When they were little, I worried about them getting adequate rest and food and being on a good schedule. With Carter, I worried about all his ear problems and the abnormal amount of anxiety and insecurity he struggles with. Who knows what I will worry about when Coop gets older! If any of you struggles with this, here is the little sermon I preach to myself:

God created these little boys exactly the way they are. He wired them intentionally with their specific personalities. He knew beforehand the struggles they would have, and He chose me to be their mom. He loves them with an unconditional love, and He will give them exactly what they need. They belong to Him, not me. They are covenant children, and God has them in the palm of His hand.

When something comes up that worries me or causes me to be anxious, I just preach to myself. I know you are all thinking what a lunatic I am at this point. Ha! Just being honest, remember :)

Anxiety is relatively new thing in my life. Something about having kiddos and raging hormones brought this new emotion into my world. And yes, I have even been medicated for it. And although I hate that I get anxious about things, I am thankful for it at the same time because it is what God has used in my life to bring me into a very special relationship with Him. I don't think I was very compassionate person before God allowed me to suffer a little bit.

Okay, so there you go :) Yes, my life is pretty darn fantastic, but it's by no means perfect. I get sad, lonely, anxious, bored, upset, etc... just like the rest of the world. Hope my blog's utopian mask has been removed :)

God bless you, readers! Hope your new year has gotten off to a great start!