I recently was preparing to have company over to our house for dinner. All I could think about while cleaning beforehand was that hilarious video with the mom shouting “There cannot be any sign of living in this house!”. As guests arrived, I would notice an area that didn’t feel as put together as I’d like it too and would apologize for the mess. This happened many times during the evening and it left me feeling like next time, I needed to clean harder – I needed to make sure no sign of our real life was visible anywhere! Real life for us can be messy. We eat dinner on the couch. We let clean laundry sit in a pile, unfolded for weeks. That’s just who we are.
What is it about not desiring our mess to be seen? I’m not just talking about people, either. When it comes to our relationship with God, we often try to hide our “piles of laundry” under a blanket and shut doors to the rooms of our heart that we don’t want Him to see.
We were created to be delighted in, yet we cover ourselves before God, hoping that as long as He doesn’t see our mess, we are still approved of. What we are missing is the fact that He delights in us even when our mess is laid out completely before Him. He is so in love with us. We just need to allow ourselves to experience it. The only time we are ever going to feel the most loved by Him is when we surrender our worst selves before Him.
Being authentic in our relationship with Jesus is all about unraveling before Him and being okay with it. It’s about surrendering all of the things that we feel embarrassed to even speak out loud into His sweet hands and knowing that there is no judgement. This type of relationship isn’t always comprised of seriousness and heaviness either. Sometimes, when we are filled with joy and laughter, authenticity means jumping and squealing with Him, trusting that He is smiling with us. Through every trail and every triumph, we pull Jesus close in prayer – that is authenticity. It’s not about religion – making sure we pray the right prayers or do enough good deeds. No – it’s about basking in the bond we have with Jesus at all times.
Authenticity is so important to Jesus. He died for it. He so desperately wants us to know Him, but He also wants us to welcome Him into our deepest of hearts and let Him see who we really are. He wants the hospitality – even if it means that He’s sitting on our dirty floor. We need to be okay with Him walking through the pit because He came for that pit. He wants to bless us and rejoice with us, but He also wants to mend us and even cry with us. He is the God that wants to help you fold your laundry, not air your dirty laundry.
Sweet girl, be real with Jesus. Don’t be focused on what you say or how holy you sound – it’s not about that. It’s about you unraveling. So, unravel. Strand by strand, reveal the deepest parts of your heart. Next time you’re alone with Him, talk to Him like a best friend. I promise you, He wants you close.
