Show Your Real: Kitty

Today's Show Your Real, is short and sweet, but the wisdom Kitty has managed to pack into what she has to share is pretty impressive. I'm inspired by how she was able to look at something seemingly silly (like a messy bedroom) and see the bigger truth God was trying to teach her. And I'm thankful that she is sharing that truth with us.

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There are two types of people in this world. Those who leave their master bedroom doors open when people come to their homes... ...and those who cannot. It's not that they will not, it's just that they cannot. It's that bad in there.  
A few months ago, my friend, Ruth, who also happens to be one of my husband's bosses, came in town. The regional directors were taking us out to dinner so she and I thought we'd hang out for a few minutes beforehand. We were short on time and I was a sweaty mess from the day, so the only way we were going to be able to actually visit was if she sat in my bedroom while I got ready. I'm typically a fairly laid back hostess, I want people to see my real so they are set free to bare their own, but something in me knew that the state of my bedroom had gone from slightly unkempt to completely horrific during the few days our bosses had been in town. As we walked down the hall past my perfectly vacuum-striped childrens' bedrooms, everything in me wanted to keep the door shut and not let Ruth see the real someone-might-need-to-call-the-hoarder-hotline deal. Ruth could sense my internal struggle as I warned her of the craziness she was about to see and she softly said, 

"Kitty, I love you for who you are, not what your house looks like. You are more valuable than your hope of perfection." This tender affirmation helped me push past the shame I felt about wanting everything to be perfectly kept and enabled us to have a great chat while I curled my hair. I've reflected on her quiet encouragement a lot recently and have had to repent of my striving and perpetual image management. Because what we see on Instagram really is the highlight reel but aren't the outtakes really the most fun? Yes, my home is an intimate reflection of me, but I want to be a person who is more secure in who I am because of Whose I am, than because of what my home looks like. Don't you?

Let's be people who let go of what we think the wrapping of a gift should look like and love the gift that is inside. Let's be people who open the doors and freely receive the love and acceptance of others. Shall we? #showyourreal
I've loved keeping it real with you! If you'd like to read more outtakes of life as a missionary, momma and majorly obsessed wife, stop by my blog or let's meet up on Instagram: @kitty_hurdle.

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Show Your Real is a series of guest posts centered around the concept of authenticity. The goal is to encourage each other to expose the reality of our lives- good and bad- and to foster a sense of community that goes beyond the often surface-y interactions of social media. And you're all invited to participate! Please write, caption, comment, link, and hashtag to spread the #showyourreal love. And if you would like to contribute a guest post to the series, please email me (cjsbowden@gmail.com).

Freely and Lightly

Today I'm over at Thrive Moms, talking about resolutions. (or...how I'm resolving not to resolve)...
Head over to their blog to check how these verses are inspiring my 2015, and chime in with what's on (or not on) your list!

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Thriving

Today I'm blogging over at Thrive Moms, talking about embracing chaos.

Because if there's one thing I'm familiar with, it's chaos. I only have two kids- two semi-well behaved girls at that...but together they're more than the sum of their parts. They become of force, intent on destruction. A tiny, giggling force, but still.  

 Chick-Fil-A must just love us. 

It's been fun for me to write for Thrive Moms...it's a truly lovely group of girls, and they put out such inspiring truth-filled content. So if you haven't checked it out, please go... read... follow...

Oh- and for extra Thrive Moms fun, I made a little page here.

And P.S. Did you know they're hosting a free online retreat?

That means all the goodness of Thrive, right in your home. Or if you're a Columbus local (maybe even a member of Northchurch?) it's all the goodness of Thrive right in my home! I'm having a viewing party, and would love to have you join. You can check out the conference details here.

Thrive Moms, Rest, Influence and Fear

Today I'm guest posting at Thrive Moms...talking about rest...

But do you know what is absolutely the worst feeling in the world? Recognizing that type of fatigue, and making an effort to pursue some sort of rest, only to find yourself even more weary at the end of it. You know- you have a long, loooooong day, so you attempt to treat yourself with a mindless activity. But the treat actually turns into a binge, and the activity spirals into an empty waste that leaves you feeling just as tired, and now kind of guilty and annoyed. It's knowing you need rest, but pursuing the wrong kind.

{I know you've been there...Read the full post, and tell me how you find refreshing rest.}

And today in real life, I'm headed to The Influence Conference.
If you're following me on Instagram, you'll see that I went two years ago and had a blast, but that doesn't mean that the butterflies haven't come back this time around. Some other attendees have already embraced me though, so I'm trying to be more excited than nervous.

If you're going too, come say hi! Or humor me if I get the courage to say hi to you!
And if you're not going...you can still be a part of the fun.

Thanks for following along with all my rants, and pics, and travels. This blogging thing is a strange little gig (can you say "gig" if you don't get paid?) but as I said when I returned from the last conference:

I won't always be funny. I'll even more rarely be wise. And I'll never be perfect. But I can at least commit to being real, while aligning myself firmly with His grace to cover me when I inevitably go astray. Thanks for walking with me.

(Ps. check out: My two biggest hesitations in attending the conference in 2012...And my five fears when I came home...Or just read all my Influence posts.)

Thrive Moms: Made For This

I'm over at Thrive Moms today...sharing my fears over not feeling like I'm "made for motherhood"...

You see...I know the things that come naturally to me, and they are not the things of motherhood. My natural inclinations are towards the things of this world. The things that serve me. The things that are fun, and easy, and selfish.

Yikes. Can you relate?
Head over to the Thrive Moms blog for the full story...and maybe tell me I'm not alone?

(p.s. I may not fall effortlessly into all of being a mama...but the lovin'- that part I got.)

Thrive Moms: Barn Raising

Oh guys. Today is just so good. I'm excited, proud, and humbled to tell you that I'll be joining the  Thrive Moms blogging team.

Not familiar with Thrive Moms? Well their tagline pretty much says it all...
"Empowering imperfect moms with His perfect grace"

Oh yeah. I can get into that. 

Today I'm sharing some thoughts on community...

Community is my thing. I’m a talker, I’m a relater, I’m a sharer (…sometimes over-sharer). I process things verbally, so I need to be surrounded by others to help me make sense of my world. But beyond just a baseline need for stimulation, for me the idea of community is about the depth of the connection. I’m not someone who is satisfied with standing side-by-side in a crowd. I need to be part of a group- with close talking, arm-linking, and a we’re in this together type of spirit. 

Head on over to read the rest!