Illusions

“Illusions are dangerous people, they have no faults.”

I heard that in the Harrison Ford movie, Sabrina. Which, by the way, is so cute! It made me pause and write it down. I know in my life I have had so many illusions. We wish for what we think would be better, what would make us happier. We can especially do that in times when life is hard. The illusion is always perfect.

The illusion of a different life may have no crying kids with stomach bugs; bad hair days and dirty houses; fights and hurts…just the picture of something perfect. But it’s not real, and when we can stay in that dream of “If Only” we are not present for the life we are living. It causes us to be discontent with ourselves and our lives.

Life

There was a time where God asked me to stop reading novels. Not that anything is wrong with that. Honey, give me a big cup of tea and new book and I’m happier than a bird with a french fry! But the problem was I allowed the fantasy or illusion of what I was reading to make me unhappy with my life. That’s when escaping is not a good thing.

Millions of dollars and tons of life is spent on movies, tv, books and gaming. Addictions and depression are on the rise. The illusions of social media are creating a false expectation of life, and our kids are not equipped to handle the real thing. Well, we really aren’t either. We are good at creating alternate lives, but eventually the illusion is torn down and real life is still there. That dream guy is just a guy, with real issues. That dream job is just a job, that we need to still do when we don’t want to.

The demands of life can be crushing. The need for rest and sabbath are real and help keep us sane. God promises to be with us in the middle of the exhaustion and overwhelm of life.

Me

“Identity is the engine that drives the relationship not only with ourselves but also with God and others.
If your identity is broken, your life is broken. If you define it incorrectly, you will carry that wrong definition into your story. If all you see are your limitations, you will miss out on the stunning possibilities God is creating in front of you.” ~ Hosanna Wong (I Have A New Name)

When we are not grounded in who we are in God, we can get lost in the sea of everyone else’s expectations. We can put more pressure on ourselves to be something God never had for us. We can be so busy living out what we think we should be doing, we completely miss the beautiful thing right in front of us.

For awhile there, I tried really hard to be what was expected from a Pastor’s wife. I was told how I should act and how my kids should behave. Some things fit and others did not. I had to let go of those things that weren’t true for me. I had to be ok with others not being ok. Same goes for being a mom. A wife. Most importantly, me. I needed to be the best Jodi I could be.

At the end of the night when the make-up is off, the house is quiet and we lay there going through our day (do you do that too?) were we authentic? Were we true to ourselves and did we represent God in a healthy way to those around us?

There is nothing I want more than to really live my life, in all it’s messiness and craziness. I am grateful to God that He knew exactly what I needed and didn’t answer all my prayers. Because, let’s be honest, there were quite a few illusion-based prayers: what I thought I needed or wanted my life to look like. When I let go and trusted that God has my best in mind, when I stopped fighting for the illusion, then I could accept and live in my reality.

That’s where God is. That’s were He will meet you.

Take time for yourself: dream, escape and when you re-enter your life embrace it fully. All of it. God will meet you there. I know, because He met me!

You are loved. You are seen. You are needed in your life.

Have an amazing day!
All my Love ~
Jodi xoxo

join our email family by signing up below. xo