Transparency

Today Marva, a woman from our meeting, talked about being transparent in our women's ministry. She said that it was important to let people see who you are from the get go, rather than allowing them to find out later on who you really are.
It's kind of like that first stage of dating, when I'd pretend that you really loved that one band or that one kind of food, or that one car, or that one whatever. I pretended that I never had a bad day, never got frustrated, never felt sick, or tired, or just plain didn't want to do something he did. I made myself "perfect," just so my potential new life-mate would think I was just amazing. Then, later on when I had that life-mate "hooked," I started to be more transparent, more real. I started to not like the things he thought I did, started not to always be happy, bubbly, excited girl.
It's felt like that as a Christian as well: expected to be happy, smiling, always "on." Shouldn't I be? Today another woman, whose name I am at a loss for, said that this was always the picture of the women's ministry she remembered. I imagine that June Cleaver appearance, where you cook, clean, discipline, with a pair of heels and a dress, smile ever present. But she was excited about a new chapter in this journey. We can be transparent, showing that we struggle with the same issues, that we are not alone.
Our struggles are common, are related, are relevant. When we share, we allow others to see that they too can overcome guilt, anxiety, frustration, fear, anger, sadness, and the host of other emotions that the world would have us take on. They can overcome these things become people, women just like them have overcome.
So transparency.
My favorite quote today was, "Ordinary girls, extraordinary God." I love it. A constant theme, and it seems like God's giving me some homework. Click here to see why.