The Carwash February 4, 2021 by Jessica StapfShareTweetSharePinNever assume the outward appearance is the whole story. While pulling into a carwash and the door closed behind me, the radio signal cut out and I was sitting there alone thinking all kinds of thoughts as the soap started to spray, I then realized how this carwash was a symbol of so much more than a clean car. If I’m real with you I don’t tend to vacuum the inside as much I make sure the outside is clean and sparkly, just as most people do with their lives. We allow the inside to be messy and dirty as long as the outside stays clean. This way we trick others into thinking it’s all good by maintaining a sparkling clean outside. Ugh…how exhausting right?! On the inside, life and things can be messy. No matter what season of life one is in, it seems as if we’re always trying to hide the mess and make sure the image of us stays picture-perfect in others’ minds. We take on the stress and pressure of making it all seem okay when in reality, nobody is paying that close attention. Again…how exhausting right?! And for who and what?! When we allow others in and be a bit more transparent, the pressures we feel are there but different. Instead of feeling judged or embarrassed of the reality of our life, we feel vulnerable or sensitive. Those uncomfortable feelings are okay. They are what one needs to feel in order to grow and embrace the gift of our season. Like Rachel Hollis says, “We must feel it to heal it.” So the next time you’re running through the carwash I encourage you to think about what areas in your life you will embrace being a little messy and which ones deserve a little cleanup!