What will you choose to see?

What do you see when you see this face? 

I see a sweet, blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyed boy! I see a boy who had a rough start to life and needs a helmet to get things set right. I see a boy whose family obviously loves camo and Da Bears! Haha 

What we don't see when we look at these pics is this:

The yucky yellow parts around the helmet where the foam is separating from the plastic because the glue is getting old (or the basketball team running around like crazy in the background and the floor that needs swept) -

What we don't see is the piece of foam that has been clawed at because he gets so sweaty and so itchy inside (or that I don't have any makeup on, hair pulled back, and the dishes in the sink) -

 

What we don't see is the string and fuzzies stuck to his velcro or the smell! Wow! The smell sometimes, haha. And, I wash that thing every single day! 

Facebook can be one of those places where we see a lot of good things, a lot of proud moments! I used to think that I was bragging or being prideful when I said how awesome my child did, so I refrained a lot. I don't want to make other women doubt themselves (because I would feel this way at times). However, I think it is also really good that we choose to see the good, awesome moments!

It is SOOOOO hard for me to listen to negative talk. Anyone close to me knows that this is not fun for me. I see the silver lining in the worst of circumstances...it is sometimes a fault.

It is a good thing that we choose to post the awesome moments in our life, but we as the viewers have to remember that there are other things that we can't see. Everyone has fuzzies stuck to their velcro, we just can't see them. Those posting pics, I pray, are doing so as a way to encourage and share proud moments with their friends that love, support and are truly happy alongside them (I mean, that is why we are friends right?!). And, we must know that outside of these happy moments, they are regular, normal sinners just like the rest of us. Hahaha. For real though!

I have let satan get in my head with Facebook more than once, God tells us to protect our hearts in Proverbs 4:23 - "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life". I realized it had nothing to do with the person posting their achievements, but from my discontent heart. I would become dissatisfied with my friendships, my parenting, my home. I would think I needed to look like my friends. I would get so hard on myself thinking I wasn't doing a good enough job. I wasn't seeing their fuzzies, only mine.

Please don't think that our friends are all perfect. Whether it is canning season, gardening season, the mom who gets down on the floor and plays with her child all day, the one who has dinner on the table every night when her hubby gets home with candles lit and food garnished with fresh picked herbs or the one who has a very successful career. Whether it is the husband who spends every evening with his family leading devotionals or the man who surprised his wife with a surprise getaway.

We ALL have our fuzzies and our glue might be separating. Be content and love what God has given you with a joyful heart. You may not do anything I just mentioned, but that DOES NOT MEAN IT'S WRONG!!!  I read a post before that said, "A Christian Home Can Look A Thousand Different Ways!" So true!!! Rejoice when our friends are rejoicing and weep when they are weeping ~Romans 12:15. Remember that a picture is just a snapshot of a couple seconds in a person's life.

Here is to looking at our family and friend's lives and loving them!!! Here is to having pure joy! I choose to see the blonde hair, blue eyed boy who is being raised to love the Bears, camo, and currently a pacifier! How 'bout you? What will you choose to see?