Time to be real

The past few months I have been hearing alot about "getting real", "taking off the mask". The theme of the Extraordinary Women's Conference this year was Free to be Real. This past Sunday my dear friend at church forced me to get real with her.

I found that "getting real " really hurts. I have also found that laying it all on the line gives me a peace that I haven't felt before. I want to share a little of what I shared with my friend.

I have a passion to help those who are homeless and those who are living on the edge, on the fringes of life. I now find myself and my family living closer to the edge than we have ever lived.
I received the notice today in the mail that we are 1 week away from electricity being cut off to our home. I don't know how I will pay it. It took all I had this week to make the rent and car payment and we are left with around $30 to put gas in 2 vehicles to make it back and forth to work. However, I do have faith that God will provide for us.

I don't want anyone to take this as whining and complaining because that is far from what it is. I just want to say that since I have openly and honestly laid this out I have found more peace and comfort than ever before. God knows everything about us so why try to hide it? Shouldn't we be honest with God and with those around us as well? There is pain in "getting real" but I don't see that there should be any shame in doing so.

God promises that He will take care of our needs and I believe whole heartedly that He will do so. The God I serve is a just and faithful God. I know that in all of this He has a plan. I may never know on this side of eternity what that plan is but one day it will be revealed to me.

For now, my thought is that I must endure this for several reasons. First, to strengthen my relationship with God. To learn to turn it over to Him and lean on Him. Second, to give me just a small taste of what the people that I want to help feel everyday of their lives so that I may have compassion and understanding. Last, so that I have no choice but to take off the mask and get real with God and all those around me.

I pray that each person has someone to turn to so that they may get real also and I pray that the peace for you will be as great as the peace that I have felt this week.