Happy Plastic People

An awesome lady that goes to my church, Cara Miller came to my house yesterday and not only brought me a wonderful dinner but also watched my girls for me so I could take a nap. She has two girls who are fifteen months apart and so it is wonderful just to talk to her because she truly understands where I am right now.

Here is the story of how all of this came about. She was on facebook one day and saw that my phone number was posted and so she called to check on me and then offered to help me whenever I needed her to. She told me how much she understood and that she really did want to help me, she was not just saying that. Sooo, after a very long night the other night I wrote her on facebook and asked for her help. It was a hard thing for me to do. See, we do not have any family here and so my church family is my family but it is different asking help from my church family than my true family; it is more humbling. Anyway, so she called me to talk about the meal and we were talking about women and asking for help and she said something that really struck me. She said,"As women we don't ask for help because we feel like that means that we have failed or that we don't have it all together." I had really never thought of it like that but quickly realized that that was exactly how I felt. Asking for help meant that I was admitting that I couldn't do it by myself and that that was very hard for me. Well, asking her to help me turned out to be a great thing. I don't have to have it all together. Who does? It is great to realize this and how much more I need to depend on God. See, I am in essence a control freak. This is why I love my house spotless and I love to always have makeup on and look presentable but this is all vain. This makes life all about me and it's not all about me; it's about the word of God and the souls of men. I love that Casting Crowns song that talks about being happy plastic people. Here are the lyrics:

Stained Glass Masquerade

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small

Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who's been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be

Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

In my case, I need help bc I just had another baby and have two babies that cannot talk and have a lot on my plate but the song is talking about anything that someone may be dealing with that they should not have to "hide." I love these lyrics because I think everyone that has grown up in church can relate to feeling like you have to have it altogether at church and maybe not just at church but at life in general. This is not only prideful but does not allow people to see who you really are and does not allow for the kind of relationships Christ wants us to have with people, the kind where we can help each other. Thank you Cara for your words of wisdom and your willingness to be there to help me when I need it!

I believe God allows us to go through things sometimes so we can be there for someone else who is going through the same thing we did. If we never admit we need comforting from God we will never be able to fulfill these verses.

2 Corinthians 1: 3-5

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ⁵For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

or in the Message Bible it says:

^3-5All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.

It is wonderful to know that God is always there for us and that He will send people into our lives to help us if we can just admit we need the help. :)