My Open-Book, Open-Life Philosophy

Some people think I post too much on Facebook. They’re probably right, by society’s standards. I post a lot. I repost pictures and jokes and news stories. I post pictures of what I ate for lunch, my kids, my nails, the sky, and I’ll even confess to posting a number of random selfies. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I’m a Communication major at Arizona State and I happen to place a great deal of importance on the process building relationships. That’s what communication does.

One of my strongest convictions is that life was meant to be shared. Nothing that God has given me did He intend for me to hoard for myself. So I share my accomplishments. I share my joys. I share the things that make me smile. And I’m real enough with myself that I can even share my disappointments and my failures. I share my recipes and I share my favorite songs. I share my heart- whatever condition it may be in. And sometimes, that means I share my weaknesses and my vulnerabilities. Some people just do not understand why I would feel compelled to do that.

Here’s why. The more someone shares, the more you know them. So, the more I openly share, the more you know me. The more you know me, the more you know my faith, my God, and my faith IN my God. The more you know me, my faith, and my God, the more you will know how much He loves you. Because He does. He really, really does.

This morning, I had one of those mornings that easily could have gone either way. I was right on the fence. I had a decision to make. Fall apart and cry and just hate life today. (Btw, I was definitely leaning that way.) Or, choose to smile, trust God’s plan, and give the day to Him. I chose the second. It was the right choice. Then, as I frequently do. I posted my feelings on FB.

My morning is not going as planned. The very human part of me wants to sulk. Maybe even cry. Fortunately, the Spirit-filled part of me is also grace-filled and strength-filled, so I’m choosing to smile and trust that God has a great plan for my day. Gotta walk by faith.

That was my post. Several people “liked” it. A few commented on it. Then I got a phone call from a dear friend, sister in Christ, and “Mama” in my life who has moved to Detroit. She wanted to check in on me, love on me, give me her Mama encouragement like only she can do. Throughout our conversation, we both realized how AWESOME it is that God allows those moments in our lives when things are less than ideal- because when you find joy in the less-than-desirable… well, that’s the REAL stuff. That’s REAL joy. And when you share THAT kind of joy… well, it’s contagious! It spreads. And people around you dealing with less-than-ideal stuff can be blessed, too. Sometimes, when you choose to smile and trust God, you need to tell the world that’s what you’re doing because maybe, just maybe, it will encourage someone else to do that, too. We all need to be reminded once in a while that we have a choice in how we respond and react to every circumstance in our life. Bad circumstances do NOT have to equal a bad day.

That’s why I share. That’s why my life is an open book. I’ve been through too much to sit back and hold it all in.

So here I am. An open book. Excited to turn the page on this day and let God keep writing my story.