Day 19 - 23

Today I am thankful for:

Honesty

and 

Truly Authentic Relationships

I have this little soap box in my head these days…. wanta hear it?;)

I'll give you the brief, perky version.

Not the, frustrated, gloomy and angry version.

Your Welcome.  [after all this is thankful month!]

Honesty rocks.

But honesty can be hard.

Uncomfortable.

And can be presented with no answers, just the "it." {make sense?}

AND THAT IS OK!

really it is.

and it needs to be.

[here comes the perky part]

Honesty also gives to a true and authentic relationship.

You can not have one without the other.

I so desire this.  I desire to hear and share, struggles and victories with loved ones.  Why?  Because it is real.  I do not believe in venting.  God says venting is for fools.  I know I have been a fool a time or two or hundreds and that is not the kind talk I am talking about.

Life can be tough and life can be awesome.

There are seasons.

This is the thing:  God never covers either up in His Word.

Have you ever read Psalms?  I love David.  David was honest.  Ups, Downs and all in between.

Old Testament families.  They were a mess.  God allowed it all into His word.  To teach us.  Help us.  

New Testament.  Those churches and people were absolutely rockin' it in moments.  And then there were other moments filled with rebukes and corrections.

It is all in there.

It is good to be transparent with good friends.  [not talking about the person you met a week ago]

It is healthy to share: both.  The good, the bad and the ugly.

To not judge one another, rather, walk with them.  In celebration or through rough waters.  We need people to celebrate with amen?  I think we know we need people for the hard times, but we need each other through the good too.  Celebrating the good helps when the bad comes.  [and it will]

I think people fear being honest because of judgement.  Let me rephrase:  I think I fear being honest because of judgment.

If I am pumped about things tickin' along in our little corner of the world then I am afraid I am coming off perfect. [ha.]

If I am feeling low then I am afraid people think I hate my life, many kids, have major issues, etc.

Neither is true.  Both happen.

So this leads me back to my grateful heart.

I am grateful for those who are honest.  Those I feel like we are really doing life together.  I love honesty.  I love true and authentic relationships.

May your Thanksgiving Holiday be filled with these types of people.  May you be blessed.

We have so much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!