Keepin' It Real

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to assume that all the great, exciting, and wonderful things you see posted on a blog are the sum of a families' life? I mean, whether you stay connected with people via Blog Land, Fakebook (oops, did I just type that out loud?? :-P ), Forums, Groups or some other World Wide Wonder it's nearly impossible to get a true picture of what your "friends" lives are all about. That happens here, too.

See, the purpose of this blog is to keep our friends and family up to date on our adventures and things we are learning and doing as a family. It's become a great way for me to chronicle our year since I've gotten so behind on my scrapbooks. I've also found it to be a way to share with other families some of the ways we are working to manage a Larger-Than-Some-But-Not-Ready-For-TV sized family.

The danger of posting all these great pics of all these beautiful faces doing all of these adventurous things is that we may lead you to believe that we have arrived as the Perfect Family. ::snort::  (oops, excuse me while I wipe the screen. ;-) )  We certainly have not gotten to that destination and we have many more miles before we even see it on the radar, I'm afraid. In fact, this week looks to be a pit stop of sorts for our family. Call it flat tires, overheated radiator, leaky fuel pump, or something of the sort. We are taking time to make some repairs before we get back on the journey.

While I'm feeling philosophical, I'll comment once more on the whole Perfect vs. Real dilemma that our current media-driven culture presents. Often I struggle with thoughts that I am only posting the *good* and the *lovely* side of life, leaving out the dingy and dirty that we deal with every day. I mean I could post pics of the laundry piles, the unkempt rooms, or other inconsistencies that plague us around here. I could go into detail about our battles to win our children's hearts and our failings as parents to Follow Through and Inspect What We Expect. I could, but I don't. Am I keeping secrets? Am I trying to hide our imperfections? Am I hoping you'll think that the sun always shines at our house. Am I being fake?

Nope. (I answered that quick and easy-like. :) ) See, I've wrestled with each of those questions and continually come to the same answer. The reason I don't post our struggles is because I know it would not strengthen our family, edify our readers, or honor the Lord. In our house, we strive to apply the truth of God's word in all areas of our lives. That includes Blog Land, too.  And God's word tells us that Real Love keeps no record of wrongs. I don't mind to share with you that we have our times of fear, frustration, and even a week when field trips get cancelled because we all need to attend Attitude Boot Camp instead. Sigh.  But, I have learned (the hard way) that focusing on the weaknesses of others makes us all weak. So, in the hopes that I will continue to encourage and build our family as well as yours, I will refrain from sharing the dirty laundry, so long as you know we've always got a few piles hanging around to work on. ;-)

He who conceals a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends. Proverbs 17:9

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead ; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9