So it has been quite a long time since I actually wrote. No good reason really…things have been so busy. One other thing happened – I found out about some people reading this blog and I was surprised. I started to write a couple of times, but I realized I was censoring myself, and I’m not sure why. I’m over it now 🙂

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There’s a lot of emphasis in some Christian circles about being “real.” This can mean a variety of things, but from what I’ve seen, it usually comes down to the equivalent of airing out your dirty laundry to everyone/anyone who will listen. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, if that is what God has called you to do. Sometimes the most broken people, going through the worst trials imaginable, bring the most glory to the kingdom of God. God will use them and use their story in a raw and “real” way.

That said, I will not feel guilty about sharing the opposite. I will not apologize for not having a trial going on that I want to talk about with everyone I meet. I will not feel like less of a Christian for answering “GREAT!” (and really meaning it) when someone asks me how I am doing.

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I spoke with five different women over the course of the past week. Every single woman had very hard things going on in their lives.

They were not moping around in sackclothes and ashes.

They were smiling, talking about what God is teaching them. How they are growing and changing. Their hope for the future.

One woman, I had to ask to stop and go back in her story to explain her trial. She was so busy talking about the Lord’s goodness that she didn’t spend much time talking about the actual problem. I loved that she had already set her eyes above the problem, and set the up high towards the Lord.

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I am a naturally positive person. Can that be okay too? Can I still be real?

Yes. I will not apologize for my joy.