You Don’t Have To Live In Isolation!

What is a blonde’s favorite color?
Glitter.

Why do blondes always smile during thunderstorms?
They think someone is taking their picture.

Judge Free Zones

These jokes make us chuckle because we can all relate to blonde jokes. Everyone has moments of silliness. But in real life, NO ONE wants to look too “blonde”. No one wants to be judged as foolish … or ignorant … or stupid. We all want to be accepted and appreciated.

In days gone by, several generations lived on the same property if not in the same house. The advantage to having such close proximity to family members of many generations is you were allowed to learn from one another. How to:

• Make a house a home.
• Prepare and preserve food.
• Raise responsible children.
• Handle husbands with respect.

You know what else you get to see in such close quarters?
Problems!
Flaws!
Mistakes!
Which in turn gives you permission to be imperfect.

Today it’s possible to see only glimpses of other people’s lives. From that tiny snapshot of their life, they look like they have it all together. It’s easy to assume they are:

• smarter
• prettier 
• richer
• better employed
• live in nicer homes with better behaved kids and have husbands who put the toilet seat down and bring home flowers every day. 

Living in Community

We NEED to live in community so we see that everyone has weaknesses, flaws and difficult seasons! Otherwise, we compare what we know of our internal lives to someone else’s external life. 

If you’re like me, you might be reluctant to open yourself up to another person. I’d much rather let you think I’m all together than prove I’m not! But then, the temptation is to hunker down and only show the shiny side of me. The side of me that I think is okay enough to share. Not the real me. Not all of me. 

I really want you to think I have got it together so that you’ll like me. So that you’ll accept me. I certainly don’t want you to know that I wore someone else’s shoes home from a party by mistake or that I gave my social security number to a telemarketer! My social security number! To a telemarketer. Who does that? It took months to fix that mess!

Here’s the kicker. If I can’t trust you with the small stuff, I’ll never trust you to be there for me with big stuff like …

• an addiction
• an affair
• an arrest
• an abuse.

It’s a lonely if not dangerous place to be hiding your flaws and imperfections. To live in isolation. 

Sharing your silly

Share your “blonde” moments with others to see if they laugh with you or if they judge you. If they laugh, there is real potential for her to be a trusted friend with other bigger, more serious things.

Let others see you for real. Just maybe your blonde moment will give someone else permission to be imperfect, too. To be accepted for who she is, as she is. Wouldn’t that be great!

Do you have a good blonde joke to share. Leave it in the comments and I’ll be sure to chuckle along with you.

Scripture: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, her friend can help her up. But pity the woman who falls and has no one to help her up!  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecc. 4:9-12 NIV

Prayer: Father, put me in community with women who will benefit from my experiences and are willing to share theirs. I don’t want to live isolated. Help me to know what to share, and when to share and how much to share. Amen.