You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world?

 Colossians 2:20

The world is obsessed with perfection. Driven by the media, we are inundated with images of “perfect” people, “perfect” lives, ‘perfect” everything! Social media, too, gives the perception of perfect, leaving out truth and authenticity, because it seems to be the only acceptable option. We only see perfect photos of perfect people’s perfect stories. But it’s all a lie. 

The problem with perfectionism is that it keeps people from ever really knowing each other. It keeps people trapped in fake-ness, and fake people can only have fake relationships, because they are relationships based on lies. What if we all just started being real? What if we all began talking and posting about our imperfect, flawed, and not-always-camera-ready selves? What if we accepted the truth that we ARE all equally imperfect, and that it’s okay? 

What the world needs is real-life people: honest, unedited, natural. It craves the truth about our stories—messy, honest, and not-always-happy-ending stories. It needs more ordinary, everyday Jesus-followers to stand up and claim that it’s IN our imperfection that Jesus meets us. Our imperfect lives are exactly the lives that are called to reach others with the hope He offers: REAL hope, REAL salvation. And it’s only when we are real that we can be powerful messengers of the Gospel. 

When you are authentic, it invites others to be authentic, too. Share the truth that you don’t have to be perfect to reach up and receive the grace that is given. Tell the lost, the heart-broken, and the weary that their lives don’t need to be perfect to be perfectly loved by the Savior of the World. Be REAL, get out there, and shine like crazy! You are loved!