Tags
being real, community, connecting, friends, friendship, keepin' it real, love, sisters in Christ
Happy Friday, friends!
Let’s play along with Lisa-Jo and pour out our hearts for five minutes without editing, backtracking, or second-guessing your words. Just let loose and write!
Want to play along? Today’s prompt is REAL.
GO
image credit © Mika5 | Dreamstime.com
I’m too old for this, too tired of surface friendship and “everything’s fine” answers when they clearly are not. We all have wounds, disappointments, down days — so why do we hide behind our “fine”?
I want you to give me the messy, the lopsided, the totally upside down craziness of your real life, the one you think isn’t company-worthy. Sharing our realness divides our burdens and multiplies our joys, and I want to multiply your joy. God can work in and through hearts brave enough to be real, to show fear and vulnerability. His Spirit is a Healer and we are the instruments He longs to use in His heart surgery.
It’s such a waste to long for community and push it away at the same time.
Share your good days when you have them, by all means, because life is full of blessings and grace and love and glory. But on the hard days, sister, open up and be real, and invite others do to so, too. You may just find exactly what your heart needs, a friend who loves you an understands you for who you really are. No masks, no costumes, no having to continue to be something you’re not just to keep up the façade.
Real is beautiful, and I want to hear your real.
STOP
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The “real” me — no makeup, hair not straightened. {I cannot believe I’m posting this!! *gulp*}
I’ll admit to being exhausted today after caring for a sick 5-year-old. Puke is so. not. my. thing. I haven’t had a shower in two days and my laundry is piled to the ceiling. I’m forty years old and my skin still doesn’t realize it’s supposed to have outgrown acne. I adore my kids, but honestly, I’d rather be with my girlfriends today. I’m missing a dear friend I haven’t seen in a long time, and longing to spend time with the online-BFF-turned-real-life-BFF I’ll finally get to meet face to face in October {hurry up, Allume!!} I’ve only had one cup of coffee so far and I’m almost out of creamer, which does not bode well for those in my immediate proximity. {My joy kicks in after the second cup 
}
Okey-dokey, it’s your turn. I want to hear your real — or you can just say hi if you’re not ready for real yet. It’s okay — I’ll still be here when you’re ready. 
Please feel free to leave a comment below, connect with me
on Facebook or Twitter, or send an email to
{graceformymess} at {gmail} dot {com}.
Linking up with Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mama
Related articles
- Five Minute Friday: Community (graceformymess.com)
- Five Minute Friday: Loud (graceformymess.com)
- Five Minute Friday: This is Real (graceformymess.com)
Well look at you with your long blonde beautiful hair! And look at that natural curl. One more thing that unites us!! I’m in the curly hair club too!!
See? I told you we were twins.
Have a blessed weekend, sweet friend. XOXO
So your real sounds pretty much like mine.
And isn’t it funny how community builds so quickly when we are actually real? PS: You are beautiful, makeup or not. Hair straightened or not. (And I cheated today by throwing mine up in a clip. 
)
I agree, Rachel — it’s so much easier to make connections that matter when we break down those walls and let our real selves show. Thank you for your kindness today. There’s no condemnation from me for the hair clip — mine went into a ponytail shortly after the photo.
Jana…hi…this looks interesting; the 5-minute Friday thing, but I don’t know what some of the terminology means or I don’t know what to put…I wonder if you can give me more explanation of how this works and how to complete the form to become a member. Oh…and I love the real you
. So sorry you have a sick kid. I’m beyond those years but still remember.
Good morning, Laura!
There’s nothing to fill out — just head to Lisa-Jo’s place ( http://www.thegypsymama.com ) each Friday and read her post to get the word prompt for that day. Then you spend just 5 minutes writing a post based on her prompt. The rules are to set a timer and write freely without editing it or worrying about spelling, grammar, or rules, then stop when you’ve written for 5 minutes. It’s a challenge, for sure, but the more you do it, the better you get. I love 5 minute Fridays! After you’ve written your post and published it to your blog, go back to The Gypsy Mama and scroll to the bottom of her Five Minute Friday post, where you’ll find a linky tool that helps you link up your post to the 5MF community.
I hope that helps, but if not send me an email {graceformymess} at {gmail} dot {com} and I’ll try to explain it better. Have a great weekend, my friend!
Thanks for stopping by my place. I love your real! Right now I have folded laundry all over my kitchen table, my living room definitely is ‘lived-in’ and I have developed this horrible habit of picking at my forehead. Yuck! Have a blessed day!
I knew I liked you.
Here’s to being real, sister. Have a beautiful day!
Oh, you are awesome!! Love this! I took my oldest to school today with my hair pulled back in its usual crazy pony-tail and my exercise pants with dog hair all over them. No make up. No brushed teeth. No washed face. {And this has been pretty normal for me this year.} Yes, I’ll show you my real, friends — I’m getting better at it. I think it’s when pride begins to slip, oh, so gradually, with His help, away. [But I still struggle here!} Love to you, {and you look beautiful!} Jana.
I love you, Jennifer! I’m all too familiar with the dog-hair coated, yoga pant, no makeup wardrobe. Some days you just have to roll with it! So glad to see your beautiful avatar in my comment box – you always make me smile, sister. Can’t wait to spend some time with you in October! {You WILL be at Allume, right??}
My “real” – I’ve been dealing with bullies all week. Adults and kids. So tired of people who can’t just mind their own business and be nice to the people around them. You don’t have to like them or be their best friends – just don’t berate them, belittle them, or railroad them for something they didn’t do, and keep your hands to yourself. And adults – when you are responsible for children then be responsible and be in charge. Whew – thanks for the vent!
Wow, April. I’m sorry you’ve had such a tough week. I’m glad you stopped by, and I’m praying peace for your weekend.
You are beautiful in that picture. Don’t you let yourself think otherwise.
Bless you, Genevieve. ((hugs))
You are so beautiful. I love you. I love your heart. I LOVE your real. I cannot wait to hang with you at long last at Allume in October. You have given me more than I ever imagined possible, from someone I havn’t met in person yet…. What a shining star you are, sweet Jana!! XXXOOO
Less than six months now – woohoo!! It’ll be like meeting my long-lost soul sister. I’m ever grateful for how God weaves hearts together. Yours is a perfect fit for mine. Love you so much, girlfriend. It’s going to be awesome. XOXOXO
My real today? When my husband got off shift this morning I REALLY preferred to be outside scooping dog poop rather than getting breakfast for the kids. Sad…but REAL. I think this mamma needs a break so I don’t have to resort to poop scooping.
Oh Sara, I just snorted!
Yep, been there. Good thing we can vent online and then return to our sweet kiddos with a better attitude, huh? Thanks for sharing YOUR real today, my friend. It was just what I needed.
Beautiful inside and out! Love you. Thanks for being real. Wish we lived closer so we could be IRL BFF’s! Oh the fun we would have. : )
I know, right?! I can see lots of laughter and lots of mayhem… Look out, Allume!
Can’t wait to get real with you this fall, sweet friend! XO
It is when we do not hide behind “fine” and show our “real” that true friendships blossom. All in the knowledge that the other person knows who we really are and havs accepted us in spite of this.
Absolutely, Colline. We all want others to embrace us as we really are, flaws and all, so why not be that person ourselves? I so appreciate people who aren’t afraid to get “real” about life. It’s so refreshing!
So good to see you again, Colline! Have a wonderful weekend.
I think just being able to admit our “real” can be cleansing and allow us to go on with the day, even if it doesn’t get better. “Real” lets us know we’re not alone!
Definitely, Laura. There are a lot of things we can’t change about ourselves, but yes, admitting our imperfections goes a long way toward healing old wounds and connecting hearts. Here’s to being real!
I love the REAL you! You are as beautiful “in the REAL” as you are all made up! Love you girlie!
You are such a blessing, Jen! I’m so glad God brought us together this year. Love you! ((hugs))
Intimacy is a scary thing, it’s unattainable with our plastic suites of fine on, but oh so necessary! I struggle when another woman’s perceived real smells of lavender and is wrapped in Southern Living perfection. But I should know better by now, that’s not anybody’s real. Thanks for sharing Jana, you are so refreshingly real, and so much more brave than I am!
Lavender and Southern Living – yep, I know all about that (being intimidated by it, anyway!). I’m generally wrapped in clutter, laundry and toddler fingerprints in awkward locations.
Thanks for reminding me I’m not alone today, my friend!
Jana – you are beautiful in your real! And I’m not just saying that!
“It’s such a waste to long for community and push it away at the same time.” I talked for a friend for a while today about the push and pull of community. We don’t have all the answers on all the questions we have about being real with others, but I love your post here.
Wish I was meeting you at Allume! What heart sister will you be meeting?
Oh Jamie, thank you! Part of me still wonders, “What on earth were you thinking?!” Oy.
It’s so hard to decide just how much to reveal in community. It’s a tug-of-war of emotions. I don’t have all the answers either, but the older I get the more I’m willing to risk. This year at Allume I’ll finally get to meet my heart-sister Kris from Always Alleluia! We’re counting down the days. I hope you can find a way to come this year – id love to meet you! (PS Allume is giving away a ticket this week – check out the blog for info.)
I love *your* real, my friend.
Posts like yours are so refreshing… it is amazing when we take the courageous step to purpose to be real… how the “not real” or “afraid of real” people sort of scatter… and in comes a whole beautiful bunch of people that just desire to be true and desire truth above all else… It is so life-giving isn’t it — even though there are a few naysayers that seem to find fault in all the “realness”… but I am sad for those because they do not know true freedom…
We have no image of our own to protect — because we are being transformed into His…
And you are BEAUTIFUL… and brave
Thanks, Michele-Lyn! There’s a fine line between brave and crazy.
Yes, I love all the ‘real’ hearts out there! Nothing is more beautiful. Thanks so much for your encouraging words, friend.
Pingback: Five Minute Friday: Identity « Grace for My Mess
Pingback: Five Minute Friday: Story « Grace for My Mess
Pingback: Five Minute Friday: Enough « Grace for My Mess
Pingback: Five Minute Friday: Beyond « Grace for My Mess