"We are and we are not"

One of my blogging heroes, Kristin Noelle, wrote a beautiful piece that I must quote and imitate. I don't think she will mind.

The thought in all of this, though, that I wanted to share is this powerful idea that all of us "are, and are not". We are powerful and we are not. We are graceful and we are not. We are confident and we are not. We are experienced and we are not. We are wise and we are not. We are beyond our years and we are somewhere back in childhood. Infancy, even! Sucking our thumbs and wondering about everything, What in the world just happened??


I am powerful and I am not.
I am graceful and I am not.
I am confident and I am not.
I am experienced and I am not.
I am wise and I am not.




I am a great mother and I am not.
I am a loving wife and I am not.
I am a reliable, trustworthy friend and I am not.
I am a good listener and I am not.
I am a teacher and I am not.
I am a writer and I am not.

I love my husband and I do not.

I love my children and I do not.

I am an organized, committed homeschooling mother and I am not.

I am a dedicated full-time, stay-at-home, housewife and I am soooooo not.

I eat healthy, organic, nutrient-rich food and I do not.

I drink six to eight glasses of water every day and I do not.

I have a great life and I do not.


I want a life of passion, wild abandon, and world-wide travel and I do not.
I want to break out of this routine of life that I have established and I do not.
I want to live like some of my blogging and real-world heroes and I do not.
I am tired of living in suburbia and I am not.
I am a big-city dweller at heart and I am not.

I want to get "a real job" and I do not.

I wish I had never given up teaching and I do not.

I want to run away from home and I do not.

I want to downsize and live a slower life and I do not.

I worry about money every single day and I do not.


I am free to write whatever I want on this blog and I am not.
I feel like every blog post has to have something related to Jesus in it and I do not.
I feel guilty whenever I don't say something about God in my posts and I do not.

I do the best I can to be the best I can and I do not.

I practice what I teach and preach and I do not.

I worry about what other Christians think of how I live my Christian life and I do not.

I worry about what non-Christians think of me and I do not.

I wonder what all that means and why it matters and I do not.

I care deeply about what everybody thinks of me and I do not.

I'm gonna stop being so anxious about this stuff and I will not.

I miss going to church and I do not.

I believe that all is well and I do not.

I am a Christian and I am not.

I believe what the Bible says and I do not.

I worry about what God thinks of me and I do not.

I'm boring and predictible and I am not.

I am reliable and dependable and I am not.

I am faithful, loyal, and available and I am not.

I am a pacifist and I am not.

I am certain of many things and I am not.

I am full of questions and I am not.

I have a lot of answers and I do not.

I am full of doubts about things I used to believe without question and I am not.

I am worried about what some of the readers of this blog will think about this list and I am not.

I am being completely honest in this post and I am not.

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I am glad I found Kristin Noelle, her blog, her voice, and I look forward to more of her and the lessons she is teaching me through her writing... and I am not. (Kristin, that's only because you are rocking my world so much, girl. Making me think way too hard and ask way too many questions.)