In some ways, “Front Porch
Flowers,” is a second part to last weeks post, “3 Ways to Stop Judging.”
The quote above “. . . you
couldn’t tell a thing about a family by their front-porch flowers” is a
realization Cornelia Taylor, the main character in my book In Search of the Painted Bunting, comes to when she’s confronted
with what’s been going on behind the beautiful exterior of her friend Opal
Ann’s house.
Sometimes, when I give my testimony,
I talk about how in my early life I was in such pain while being so far from
God. On the outside, I had a wonderful job, wore nice clothes, and put a smile
on my face. No one knew. But behind my own version of front porch flowers,
there was a massive storm brewing, one that would almost break me.
Often, we’re tempted to believe
the social media post façade—that everything is
in perfect order, that there is no chaos just beyond those curated images, and
that another’s life is free of the unavoidable messes, pain, and heartache of
our own.
But it’s just
not true. My respect goes up a hundred-fold for anyone who creates social media
content and dares to show what’s beyond the framed images.
The idea
that we must measure up to those perfect images is breaking the lives of some
of our youth. We all love beauty , but somehow we have to be real about our brokenness,
our failings, and our ragged edges and at the same time offer hope in Jesus.
And we need
to watch for the subtext in conversation. Often, we get hints to the pain of
others if we really listen. When they dare to crack the door to reveal
their hurt, let’s resist immediately offering platitudes, but be willing to
suffer with them.
The Message
renders the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 12:9 like this: “Love from the
center of who you are; don’t fake it.”
So, let’s be
genuine in our love and get rid of any hypocrisy. Let’s watch for when those metaphorical
front porch flowers are just window dressing to hide the pain behind them.
And like Cornelia, we may find God at work in unexpected ways.