come as you are

Come as you are. This phrase is running through my head. Come-as-you-are parties were all the rage when I was in junior high or high school. Someone would get in a car and drive around to their friends or family and announce a surprise party where you were expected to come in your gardening clothes or pajamas or with shampoo in your hair. Kind of like selfies posted to the web but you have to show up in person.

It is so tempting to put on a particular face for a given situation. I think we women get encouraged to do that from an early age.  "Don't wear your troubles on your face." "Put a smile on you face." "Turn that frown around and it will be a smile." Of course, the guys are told to wear their game faces or poker faces so I guess it is really a common human problem.

So how do I stay centered and calm while also being authentic and appropriately transparent as I go through my day? And how do I do that without being a yo-yo bouncing from one face to another depending on my situation and emotions?

I think this is the part I have to remember: I am not in charge. I have authority over the choice I make and the values I embrace and when I can that with prayer and discernment I spare myself a LOT of sorrow. But beyond doing the best I can, I have to remember I have no control of the response others make to my choices or how those choice play out. But this does not mean I am at the mercy of an ever changing sea, in danger of drowning in uncertainty and fear. Rather, it means I have a loving, powerful and attentive God who has the helm of the ship of my life if I will just stop embracing fear over love. And I can do that right now!

So I invite you to give it a try. Come as you are to get to know the God who already knows and loves you. He knows the true you and is so much in love with you, His beloved child!