Because we don't want to appear perfect in the blogging world, we have tended toward overcompensating humility. Let me explain.
It would be easy to paint a perfect picture for you, my readers. Only post pictures of a clean house. Only highlight my finest homeschool moments. Only post about our achievements...
It's like a Christmas newsletter all year long!
Only, we don't want to do that. So we, Christian blogging moms, show you the other side. Sometimes, we make whole series out of it! It's encouraging to other moms to know that no one really keeps up with the laundry. That we are not alone. That everyone has THOSE days.
I'm all for that.
But I'm afraid that sometimes we get to the point where we feel we must depreciate ourselves in this manner. That to show you, "Hey, I did really good on this today." or "Look! This is really working!" or "I think I've got this under control." would be like becoming a traitor.
I think we should be honest and real when it's appropriate (I'm not showing you my checkbook OK?) but I don't think we have to do so to the point where we begin to think of ourselves as disorganized messes all the time.
We aren't.
We all have talents and abilities and areas where we shine. We all have homemaking and homeschool successes. But bragging on those looks like pride.....so we overcompensate the humility part.
If our strength comes from Christ, then telling about our sucesses is like bragging on what the Lord has done in our lives, right?
Look at God! Isn't He awesome? Look what He helped me do!
I'd like to think of it that way. I'll still share about my bad times and my struggle against disorganization because that IS real life. But I'd like to also show you what the Lord has done and is doing to this wife/mama/homemaker.
'Cause it's pretty cool.
Does that make sense?
I like it, I like it, I like it!
ReplyDeleteI think I try to show both the good and the bad, but you are right we do BOTH of your last posts on pride and humility!
part of my Bible reading is a Proverbs that is the day of the month... So I am reading Proverbs 16 for the day, it really hits a lot of these points and it is obviously being pointed out to me from so many sources for a reason!
Time to get on my knees and become more aware of some of my behaviors...
sigh.
Well said, Brenda. Well said!
ReplyDeleteOh, and you have a typo, lol. You left the P out of "overcompensating" in your first paragraph.
I am QUEEN of the typos and I hate it when nobody tells me.
I agree. I try very hard on my blog to be real. I also want to try to not read into too much of others blogs. What I mean, is sometimes we can read a blog post and then make a judgement on it but if we really investigate the rest of the blog you will see a good balannce of both good and bad moments of bloggers on the most part.
ReplyDeleteI just say be real and not to read too much in others blogs. If a person feels led to share the great things God is helping them do (like you stated) then we should give God the glory for the strength that He has given us to accomplish work for our families. At the same time if a person feels led to open up and share some more messy moments we must respect that, ya know?
I just think that a balance of sharing both and give God the Glory for all things is what us mama's should strive for.
Good thought.
Brenda, I've been thinking about this for a few days now! You took the words right out of my brain ;-) We do need to balance between being honest and humble, but also recognizing that we have a Helper and One who gives us strength to overcome! Which I am so thankful for, because it is all too easy to wallow in self-pity and never come out of it! But at the same time, knowing that any strength I have comes only from Him, *is* so humbling.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post!!!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you know how much I love your blog so I chose you for a lovely blog award. Just visit my blog to pick it up. :)
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Great post Brenda...
ReplyDeleteI've love your style of blogging...keeping it real, ya know, encouraging without being a downer type blog =)
be blessed,
Sheri
Absolutely makes sense. The balance is always in the back of my mind when I'm "drafting posts" in my head. Because real life IS made up of successes and failures. And every good thing IS from Him, including and most especially any good ideas I have. You always hit it on the head.
ReplyDeleteI agree too! It always makes me shudder when I read a post where someone shares a struggle (that is something they might easily overcome with a little encouragement) and in the comments fifty other women chime in with how they ALWAYS have that problem, or they are CONSTANTLY struggling with that too.
ReplyDeleteGod doesn't want us to live there. It's okay to struggle (you're not human if you don't!) but not okay to wallow in our struggle, and encourage others to wallow with us. So, I am all for hearing people's success, because that's what motivates me to get with it too! :0)