Liar

Apparently there's been some drama lately in Bloggerworld. A couple of blogs that are very popular were somewhat involved, and you can read about it here or here.

I don't enjoy drama.......it's just not my thing. In fact, I run from it as often as I can. That being said, I find this situation very interesting. A brief synopsis.......there was a woman who was blogging about her pregnancy with a terminally ill baby. I never read the blog or knew anything about her, but apparently she was a pretty gifted writer and had established quite a following. Many good-hearted people were invested in her life and prayed steadfastly for the life of her unborn child.

She gave birth to her baby and blogged about her baby's precarious health, igniting a chain reaction of prayer across the globe. Soon after, it was discovered that every single thing about this lady had been a hoax.

A complete lie. All of it......the pregnancy, names of doctors, midwives, husband, etc. All fictitious.

I was very intrigued by the whole thing. I felt horrible for all the people who had devoted a lot of time in the last year praying for this baby. It made me sad that someone would stoop to this level to gain attention and notoriety. Honestly, the part that left me aghast was the complete web of lies that defines this whole situation. How could she?

How could I?

What?? I have never created a completely fictitious situation to get attention.

I was quickly reminded that although I have never lied to that extent, I have certainly stretched the truth to appear as something other than I am. In God's eyes, one is no worse than the other.

Now, most of my offenses include:

Taking 10.....or 20.....pounds off of my weight when renting skis along side my 90 pound friends in high school.

Telling a friend she looks great when I should say nothing at all because horizontal stripes are not at all becoming on her.

Telling someone I had received hundreds of phone calls in a situation where I had, like, 12.

Claiming I had plans when all I was doing was staying home to watch the latest episode of The Bachelorette.

You know, minor offenses, and the list could go on and on. Nothing as extreme as pretending to be pregnant with a terminally ill baby.

The reality is that in the same way this woman was creating a life for herself.......a certain persona......what I do in my little ways to pretend I am something I am not, is no different. I was forced to really think about the way I present myself on this blog, on Facebook, in emails, and even in person.

Being the authentic me can be hard when the exaggerated me is so much more interesting! It begs the question, "Who am I really trying to impress?"

If I claim to want a life that reflects Christ in everything I do, then I should not strive for anyone's approval but His. I know that I will get His approval by living a life that's honest and true..........transparent so people can look through me and see Him. And for an approval junky, that can be hard to do!!