I love backroads and alleys.
They're the forgotten places, the faces we don't
show to the world. They're not shiny or
perfect or polished but often they seem more real in this pre-packaged world we
live in.
I accidentally came across this alley while
driving around a little town in west Texas.
The name of the business stopped me and OF COURSE I had to snap a quick
photo. I love that they painted the
building, the whole building--doors, garage, drainage pipes--a vibrant
turquoise and then in big tall letters they proclaimed to the world who they
are.
They didn’t fix all that needed fixing on the back
side of their store. But they are
calling you to them, welcoming you into their space. They’re ready for you, if you’re ready for
them and I love that.
Maybe we need to take a cue from this small store
in this small town. Maybe we need to remember
that people aren’t asking us to be perfect.
That we don’t have to be social media ready at all times.
We
need to be comfortable with WHO we are and WHOSE we are.
Let’s not wait too long to get to that point. Let’s do the work and spend the time to be
who we are called to be and welcome the people God places into our lives into that
space we are creating. Don’t package
yourself into looking like and sounding like everyone you see on the tiny
screens in your hand. Be you—be bold—declare
who you are in giant letters and encourage others to join you and do the same.
