Exposure

Happy New Year! I posted a few Christmas photos to Instagram if you're wanting something to look at rather than read. ;)

Okay. It's about to get real in here, y'all.

Do you watch This is Us? Did you catch the episode when, during a family photo session, Rebekah (mother of 2 white, 1 black babies) mentioned exposure being a problem for their family? (Side note: That was the story of my life growing up- with 3 white kids and 3 black kids making up us siblings, someone was always in the wrong light for the picture.) Exposure. That's brilliant. Drawing attention to our differences isn't always the worst and the reality that this network television show is magnifying stirs me. Like how do they paint such a clear picture of grace and love and forgiveness and family and hard knocks and choices that don't feel like choices? They're representing the perspective of so many people we meet every day. As this beautiful recognition makes its way through the density of my heart (seriously, I'm not a very feely person) I can't help but think, why so judgy? Why do I think I can make an assessment of someone else's lack of character, when I've always had a roof over my head and food in my belly? The fact that I haven't experienced life as difficult or crazy as someone else, isn't proof of my superior character...but brings light to my inexperience and un-understanding..and lack of depth, quite frankly. This TV show is proof that God the Holy Spirit can use any avenue he chooses to stir empathy and cause deep conviction of the heart.. including NBC. ;) There are so many hurting in my town, in my county. So many who I would judge at face value and not even think to get to know or think to help. And there's usually something we can do, if we wake up, dress our souls in love and courage, and take a step. That was the mission of Flannery O'Connor. This fall we read a couple of her short stories for Well-Read Mom, and there was a character who had an interior conversation with God thanking him for not making her poor or a certain ethnicity or ugly or stupid or an invalid. She's so pleased with how kind and lovely she is, and so sorry for those who aren't like her. In the end this gal has a vision where every one of the people groups she looked down on, are climbing the stairway to heaven.. ahead of her. Oh Flannery O., you have such a way of provoking anger toward injustice! This is Us starts back up next week, and I can hardly wait to see more- about the brother with the addiction, the sister who just miscarried, the brother who's a foster parent, and the mother and father who raised the 3. And I know it's going to shock us with more plain, everyday reality. So what am I going to do with my conviction? I don't know yet.. What are you going to do with yours?

Here's to courageous selflessness in 2018!