tis the season

Friday, September 7, 2012

Five Minute Friday - Graceful

I hear the word "graceful" and I immediately think of Grace Kelly, ballroom & ballet dancers, and Michelle Obama. Huh?

Maybe I caught you off guard with the last one. But it's true - at least in my eyes it is. Set politics and election year propaganda aside and just think about it (I hope you'll at least try)...

First and foremost, she is a woman. A mother. A wife. She has all of the emotions and instincts that you and I have.

She faces criticism and opinions about everything imaginable in her life on a scale that we can't possibly imagine. The whispers and conversations that stop when you walk in a room are nothing compared to what she endures. The father of her children, the man she loves, is publicly dissected, often lied about and openly hated every single day. Can we even comprehend what that must feel like or how to even begin to deal with it?

Trying to balance being a mother and raising daughters, which many of us know is challenging in normal circumstances, and living a public life in the political arena. I can't even wrap my mind around the massive toolbox of coping skills that she must have.

I know, I know - she has an arsenal of stylists, speech writers, nannies, and assistants. But having others at your disposal can only do so much. A nanny's attention can't replace a mother's love and affection. Those speech writers can lace words together beautifully, but they can't deliver them with a genuine spirit for you. As I watched and listened to her this week, on display for the entire world to see (literally), I was amazed. I have to be honest, I didn't hear most of what she was saying because I was taken with her poise and presence.

We have seen many other women stand in that place before her - all of them wives and mothers. But very few have navigated those waters with the class and grace that she has. She does not stay in the background or shy away from the critics. She faces them and meets their attacks with confidence and great tact. She is, without a doubt, a strong woman, and yet there is something soft and graceful about her. Those are not skills that can be taught - they inherently speak to who you are.

I have strong political opinions and convictions about our rights and responsibilities as American citizens. I won't speak to that here because that isn't what this is about - and watching Michelle helped me to realize that. In the way He always does, God used that moment to open my eyes. As I watch and listen to the candidates and the buzz this election year, I see and hear something different.

I don't see red or blue. Democrat or Republican. Left wing or right wing. Right or wrong. I see a woman. A mother. A wife. And I know that God is giving me eyes to see, just as I have prayed that He would.


Come on over to Lisa-Jo's for Five Minutes of the most Friday fun on the internet block!



3 comments:

  1. I, too, am grateful I don't face the public scrutiny Michelle does. I pray I never feel I can slack off praying for God's gracefulness to fill my life since I go about it in privacy, since all I am is dependent on Him.

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  2. Jessica~ What a beautiful perspective! So refreshing and so honoring to God. One of the things that I dislike the most about politics in America is how cruel people can be on both sides of the issues. And I don't see that in the character of God!
    So thank you! Very graceful of YOU!

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    1. Thank you so much for that! I was hesitant to post it given the political climate right now, but I felt in my heart that it was worth sharing. I so appreciate your words - it was just the happy I needed!

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