The Highlight Reels

Every morning I look at the app on my phone called Timehop.  I see the pictures from years past that were taken on that day.  I see a glimpse of my life with my family through the years.  Sometimes those glimpses are humorous.  Other times they break my heart.  But every day I see part of my journey.

The pictures I have shared over the years on social media are the highlight reel.  I don’t have the pics of the dirty home or the times I lost my temper.  I don't often show the blurry pictures.  I don't even take pictures of the sickness or the times of financial struggle. Most of us don't easily share the mistakes, the tough times, the hurts.  We don't show the two days we laid on the couch binging on Netflix.   We show the pictures of smiling children, playful puppies, beautiful shots of nature, holidays, and special moments.

And that is perfectly fine.  Why?  Because we should be able to focus on the positive in life.  The negative will always be available, tempting us to despair.

I see the beauty of the journey when I look at the memories that I made throughout the years.  I see my children grow.  I see the changes that have occurred.    I see pictures I took of nature, moments in time that captured my attention, the projects I embarked upon.  I remember what my family was going through at that time.  The negative is there, at the cusp of my memory, tempting me to relive the emotions, but the picture is there, reminding me that there were good moments in the tough times. 

When we lacked provision, we had each other.  When we weren't sure how to get through, we did, and the pictures attest to the ongoing journey. When I was overwhelmed and stressed with a large family, I captured the memories of my young daughters playing and dressing up and putting on "shows" for us in the living room. 

My life won’t capture the envy of Hollywood.  It won’t sell bestselling books.  The stories I have lived, the trials I have endured, are the things that God has used to teach me lessons, develop compassion in me for others in similar circumstances, or to give me a testimony of His faithfulness. They aren’t things that others look at and think, “I want that life.”  There are, instead, things I look back at and think, "I have been blessed."

It's okay to be content with what God has given, not with the ideals you imagined in your mind when you were young.  It's okay to not reach every goal or see every dream come to fruition.  It's okay to grasp for simple blessings that don't fit the narrative of success in our culture.

It’s okay because my journey is unique.  I am learning to find joy and peace in the midst of hard times.  I am learning to be positive on purpose.  I am learning to enjoy the blessings, even when my heart is heavy.  I’m learning that the quirks and misunderstood parts of my personality are there for reasons, that fitting in isn’t always a good thing.  I’m learning there are others like me in the world, and they aren’t part of a clique, may not have a tribe, but they add so much value to life.   As I’m doing these things, and learning these things about myself, I find my hard times aren’t so hard.  I find my memories are like the Timehop pictures, focused on the good.  

Social media may show the highlights of my life, but my writing shows the struggles.  I write about the lessons I am learning, the pleas in my heart to God, the mundane homeschooling project, and walk in the snow.  I write because that is part of me also. Combined with the photos, I see a journey. I may never be rich.  I may never be famous.  My blog posts don’t often reach thousands.  But never have I written a post or taken a photo with a big goal.  I record my journey.  Sometimes it’s visually. Other times, being a “word” girl, it is in writing.  

My adventures will probably always be small.  That isn’t me saying I won’t set big goals or dream big dreams.  It’s me saying that I won’t feel like my life has failed if I never get to do the big things. For instance, if all I do is raise my children, homeschooling each to graduation, I will know I did what God told me to do.  If I get to finish my degree and one day work in a library, I will consider that a success.  If I continue to learn and grow and live with love and authenticity, then I will have been me.  If I continue to serve God, learning about Him, worshiping and loving Him, I will know He will use my life both here in earth and in eternity.  

In the end, I hope I choose to bless those around me, to speak life into their days, to love unafraid. Being content with a life, my life, that God blesses me with is a choice, a decision.  Choosing to live each day finding meaning in the mundane is one of the keys to knowing purpose.  Making that meal, washing that laundry, reading to that child, studying that lesson, rinse and repeat...  those are what make a life.  

The highlight reel on social media is perfectly fine as long as you see the beauty in your days and not compare the good you display and the bad you hide with only the good in someone else's highlight reel.  We should focus on the good, learn from the struggles, and keep pressing on.  If your life isn’t the stuff of a Hollywood movie, that’s perfectly fine.  If you don’t die famous, life is still good.  And if you somehow don’t get all your dreams fulfilled, but loved well and kept going with as much joy as possible, your life will have been a success.

Any Dream Will Do

Sometimes a second chance can change a life.  Such is the case for Shay.  Convicted of embezzlement, she is released from jail to begin her life anew, as a felon.

She stumbles into a church and the pastor, Drew, helps her get into a program called New Hope.  This sets the stage for new beginnings for Shay and for Drew.  

This was my first Debbie Macomber novel.  I stumbled upon it at Walmart, in paperback.  As I read the synopsis and the first few pages, I knew I wanted this book in hardback.  So I ordered it, and prayed I wasn’t wasting my money.  

I enjoyed the story immensely. While it wasn’t all I hoped, it made some awesome points as the main character changed her life and the people around her lifted her up. I think we often forget how far we have come.  We often see that person we once were and not the person we have become through Christ.  And there are so many other people that will hold our pasts against us.

Shay faced these issues.  She faced them from the world, but I was struck by how Shay dealt with the worst judgments and criticisms from the church.

And yet, in some ways, I could understand the church’s trepidation.  We want to offer Jesus to the world, to watch Him redeem the lost and the broken.  We also want to use wisdom.  At one point in the book, Shay is offered the opportunity to count the church offerings and set up the deposit.  My own thought was, “I probably wouldn’t extend that kind of trust.”

I know my weak points, the sin that so easily entraps.  Most churches have multiple people counting money for accountability for the very reason that temptation exists, even for someone with no history of theft. 

The story shows a woman that made a poor decision turned her life around and was given a second chance.  Faith’s role was downplayed, and that was a bit sad because the work of Christ in a person’s heart and mind is so much bigger than any other journey.   And yet, there was still so much to the book that showed the process of redemption.  The way many people around Shay fought for her and helped her, uplifted her and stood by her side was an awesome example of how we are supposed to be.

I think the character of Shay made a poor choice while trying to help her brother.  Other than that, her inclination to do her best, to work hard, to reach out to the homeless, and to be friendly to all she met showed her real person underneath was not represented in the mistake that sent her to jail.  She understood that others saw her mistake, her crime, as her identity.  She set out to change that for herself without trying to force that on others.  That speaks volumes about how we should be as new creations in Christ.  We have to live it, not preach it or force it on others.  The genuine changes in us will be seen by all that take the time to look.