(In response to last week’s post “Authenticity,” a guest post from Rachel Reese. You can follow her on Twitter. If you are interested in writing a guest post for blaynejohn.com, find out how here.)

Caught Up in “Suburbia” – by Rachel Reese

When thinking about a cozy home, I find I often want mine to be full of “charm.” The charm of a 1920s home with rustic arches or the unique designs you never see in suburbia. However, once I find myself encountering these moments of challenge or “charm” in my life…my immediate thought is run or cover myself with everyone else’s idea of perfection. But that’s where it has to stop.

We are all going through something, but we throw on bandages or make up to hide our tough experiences to the point where the scars are nowhere to be found. With no scar we tell ourselves it never happened, but in reality we are left with a deep, invisible wound that our body aches to heal, but has lost the spot where it all began.

Why is it we are so afraid to be honest with those around us…our friends, family, church body, and loved ones? We are all too busy hiding these wounds, when God had called us to be in community with those around us. He did not say to mask these moments of “charm” but uses them to help you and those around you acknowledge and grow. By fearing to share what is really going on we find ourselves distant and lonely. Let us come together and remind each other as Shauna Niequist so eloquently wrote in Cold Tangerines “God says, ‘I didn’t ask you to become new and improved today. That wasn’t the goal. You were broken down and strange yesterday, and you still are today, and the only one freaked out about it is you.'” So let us be insecure and freaked out about it together. Let us share our stories, lean on one another, and heal together.

Let us seek out the charm of that 1920s house, let us be a block of homes that are all unique and not afraid to show our cracks. The more we mask, the further we fall away. It’s never too late to share your day or struggles. I challenge you to share a struggle with someone you trust, but even more I ask that you open your heart to those around you when they trust you and confide in you with their struggle.