I caught the pilot episode of American Housewife a couple of weeks ago. The easy way to describe her is that she doesn’t really have it all together. 

She struggles with her weight, her kids are weird and she is surrounded by “perfect” moms in yoga pants. When she shows up to school with a pizza stain on her back (because her shirt is on backwards) she’s told, “You’re so real,” by a mom with a perfect smile. It feels a bit condescending. 

I thought to myself, “People tell me I’m real all the time! Is that what they mean?” 

And then I laughed, because, honestly, I’m not sure I care. I know I don’t have my act all together, all the time. 

It used to really bother me – it was crippling, actually. But then, over time, I began to have this suspicion that my not having it all together is exactly what made me lovely and beloved. 

Don’t get me wrong, it wouldn’t hurt to be more neat and organized, but organizational skills are not the defining quality of my life. I’d like to be less awkward, but I am who I am. It would be nice not have so many questions about things, but I do.   

Jesus was attracted to messy people. In fact, he surrounded himself with messy people who wouldn’t have made much of themselves apart from him. And that’s precisely the way His work was made so clear: a bunch of mostly uneducated, rough and tumble guys, a political type, a zealot, a guy with poor public speaking skills, turned the world upside down.

He was kind to the ones who most needed it, who were rejected by their peers and weighed down with all the rules. He was kind to other people, too, of course, but it really stands out when we see him interacting with the downtrodden. 

I’m okay to find myself in that category. And aside from that, I’d just prefer to be “real,” than try to maintain a facade. 

Ain’t nobody got time for that. Or the energy.

I don’t. You don’t. 

I’d rather see you – the real you – with your doubts, fears and failures, right alongside your gifts and successes. It does take work to love real people because it’s messy, but it’s good, holy, work.

I don’t know that American Housewife will be on my list of must-see TV, but I’m glad for the reminder she gave me.

And, lets not be too hard on the “perfect moms” either, because we all know there’s no such thing.

May we all be free to be real. 

From The Velveteen Rabbit