“You are thriving!”
I've heard this phrase countless times when people talk about my college experience so far. When people say this to me or my mom tells people this about me, sometimes I agree, but most of the time I think to myself “yikes...if only you knew.” The more I have this interaction, the more it reveals to me how social media and life in general can show off a false perception of how well our lives are actually going. Yes, when I post about witnessing LSU win the national championship (geaux tigs), I feel like I really am thriving...but I’m not quick to post in the moments when I miss home or get consumed with thoughts of not being cool or pretty enough.
Since I started school freshman year, there have been an influx of people texting or snapchatting me when I post something that they think is cool, and I love that because it’s usually people I never thought I would stay friends with. But it makes you wonder…are they only doing that because of my highlight reel? What would they think about the everyday me? That thought can be pretty scary, and in reality, a lot of people might not stick with us when they see behind our smiling (edited) pictures. BUT, there’s another side to this thought. We have a God that doesn’t care about our highlight reel in the slightest. Moreover, he sees every rough night or failed test and he knows Every. Single. Thing. About. Us...and the even cooler thing is that he LOVES US ANYWAY!
I know that the Lord would not look at me and say that I’m “thriving” at LSU. He would look at me and say that he sees all of the mess that I am, but he loves me enough to cover it up with his love. In fact, he did just that when he sent his only son to die in order to save us from all of the things we deserve! He loves us enough to redeem us from that sin and draw us closer to him.
Recently, my worlds collided!!! Some of my college besties met my family and my best friends from high school and and it was easily one of my favorite weekends ever. We hiked Petit Jean Mountain, escaped an escape room (with 15 seconds to spare), and played so many games (wii tennis is where it's at!!) My heart was exploding the whole time because so many of the people that know me best and have played such a huge role in my life were all under the same roof. Looking back at that group of people, they may know every cringey thing or silly fact that makes me who I am, but they definitely do not know everything about me. No one on this Earth knows everything about me. The only person that knows every single thing about me is the same person that loves me so much more than any of the most important people in my life ever could!! That’s pretty dang cool when we wrap our minds around it. In this moment, I am so grateful for the way that the Lord loves me despite my mess. Honestly, we never really know who is going to stick with us when we stop portraying that we are “thriving,” but we do know that the Lord doesn’t care if we’re thriving or if we’re a hot mess. He loves us either way. And that is definitely something to be thankful for.
