"Mom!....
Watch Unicorn and make sure she doesn't get any ideas".
-Rylie's words last November as she chained her mystical pet to the chair
Unicorns are magical beasts; symbols of freedom and beauty. They aren't to be tamed. They are only chained at will.
Choosing to be bound, to be limited is beyond me; this coming from one who too often allows myself to be earthly tethered.
The world calls me friend; says that I belong to it. The world feeds me; lies no doubt, but I gladly partake.
Here are some of those lies:
Lie #1- I must be the perfect mom; one who never loses important papers and never "loses it". If I'm a good mom, I remain calm while carting everybody around for activities, helping with homework and refereeing sibling rivalries. To be the perfect mom I'm not allowed to forget lunch money.
Lie #2-My house should always look the way it looks when I have company over. I'm supposed to have the ceiling fans dusted and toilets scrubbed. The living room is not complete without the decorative pillows being fluffed and rearranged. The meals I make should be made cheaply, while looking and tasting heavenly though low-calorie and low cholesterol.
Lie #3-To be, all that I can be, I must be (1. the perfect mom and 2. superior homemaker) while looking my best. To do this, exercising is a must as is the wearing the latest fashion.
Lie#4-When I fail at the above mentioned, I should pretend that I have it all together. If I don't feel comfortable pretending, I can always consider ways that the fellow woman falls short, in turn lifting the spirits.
Other Lies from the world
-what my neighbor has is better than what I have.
-the moment where nothing seems to be going right (when I'm flat broke, my hair is flat and my tire is too...)
-that moment is everything.
- mistakes aren't meant to be forgotten; they're meant to be carried on my back along with my guilt and shame. Women are strong enough to push through, carrying it all, right?
-if my children aren't behaving/performing properly, I'm doing something wrong
-my husband is responsible for my happiness
My ability is proportionate to my value.
My appearance is proportionate to my value.
My "being good" and "doing good" is proportionate to my value.
I know better.
And yet I stay, in the world and regretfully (so often) of it.
Though ransomed and free, I'm willingly on a leash that leads me in a way opposite to the everlasting.
It's where the accuser wants me as he whispers through the worlds' ways, "Watch Kristi....And make sure she doesn't get any ideas".
....greater is He who is in you
than he who is in the world. -1 John 4:4
I'd love to hear from you kristiburden@gmail.com