I'm not sure who the proverbial "Joneses" were, or at what point in history we decided we needed to "keep up with them", but it is my new found opinion that we all would have been better off had we bought the "Joneses" tickets for the 3 hour tour with the Skipper and Gilligan and left them on the deserted island.
Allow me to elaborate:
The idea of "keeping up with the Joneses" instills in us a need to portray a perfect image; one free of fault or struggle...suppressing sub-par events and personal struggles and not to "air our dirty laundry" for for everyone to see. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that we should open our lives like a reality television show, but we as humans deserve the right to be able to stand up and say "I AM NOT OKAY!", and not feel ashamed. No one is, or will ever be, perfect...we struggle, we lack skills, and we hurt...and no amount of possessions or cute Instagram pictures will cover that up. In fact, I would go as far to say that attempting to keep up that portrayal of perfection causes us even more pain and instability. So, tonight, by way of this blog post, I encourage all of you (if you are so moved) to feel comfortable in saying: "I am not okay."
Maybe you are uncomfortable with your body image, or actually hate your job. Perhaps you have been battling an illness or depression...keeping up a strong facade for your friends and family, but deep down you want to yell about how bad you feel, lay on your sofa, consume and entire cheesecake and sulk....and you should have the right to do so. At some point we need to realize that it would do us all some good to send our regards to the "Joneses", and get the stresses of life off our backs and out in the open. Bottling up your pain and internalizing your struggles will only eat you up inside...and that is what's not okay.
Are you struggling with something? Do you need to unload burdens? Then I urge you to let it out.
In closing, I want to leave you with a prayer by one of my favorite inspirational authors, Max Lucado:
"Father, you are good. I need help; they need help. Thank You. In Jesus Name, AMEN."
