normalize: sharing your struggles
We recently got the stand alone trash cans that you have to drag to the road once a week…super annoying but..... Our trash can sits in the front of our house by our garage, mostly because it’s easier to drag to the road and we don’t want our garage to stink. I’ve told my husband over and over to move the trash can behind the fence. When he asks me “why?” my response is because “its gross….I don’t want everyone to see all our trash.”
Its looks better to have the trashcan behind the fence or put in the garage…where no one can see it right. So, the front of my house looks clean and nice (except when my kids leave out their football, baseball, sidewalk chalk, you get the gist) but the trash is still there….it just isn’t visible for everyone to see.
Aren’t we like that with most of the ugly parts of our lives….”I don’t want everyone to see our trash.” I don’t want people to know that we have struggles. It’s easier to put the “mask” on and act like everything is perfect. We’ve all done it…. we’ve all had a straight up nightmare morning, getting the kids ready for church, running late, one kid is missing a shoe, the other hasn’t brushed their teeth, and you and your spouse are barely speaking…but when you walk in that church its lights camera action…all smiles here.
For some reason, in the past, someone decided that broken people don’t go to church…. people that have their lives together go to church. WHICH IS A LIE!!! Historically, there has been so much shame around struggling…especially in the church. You have depression, oh that’s lack of faith. You’re angry because your mom died, well that’s Gods will. Your marriage is failing, well just deal with it. We don’t talk about struggles here….this is church where we have it all together (I’m being sarcastic if you can’t tell).
But the REAL TRUTH is, everyone struggles. Everyone struggles with something, every couple has struggled in their marriage, every Christian has struggled in their walk with God.
And one of the enemy’s biggest lies is to get you to believe you are the only one dealing with something. He wants you to believe that no one else has ever struggled with ‘insert struggle’ so no one will understand, no one wants to hear what you’re going through…just keep it in the dark.
Hebrews 10:32-36 (ESV) says “But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property since you knew that you yourself had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”
I think its so important for us to share our struggles with others. It helps us connect with other people that we might not usually connect with. Sharing our struggles and how Jesus redeemed you from that struggle (basically your testimony) will bring others to Christ. And its ok NOT to share every little thing going on in your life…. it’s your business. But if you are choosing to share whatever struggle you are having or have had in your life, there is no condemnation or shame in that.