In a day and age where our social media platforms tend to tell a story about our lives that is much more "polished" than we'd like to admit, I want to take this opportunity to "pull back the curtain" on several areas of my life in an effort to make a point that I hope will be an encouragement to you.

In regards to my health...

Though you may #seeEDrun, what you don't see is me:

Indulging in fast food way more than I should.
Refusing to engage in exercise besides running.
Eating, many times, to numb the emotional pain and stress I am experiencing.

In regards to my marriage...

Though you may see many happy pictures of my wife and I under the hashtag #seeEDblessed, what you don't see is me:

Refusing to fix the bed in the morning when it is the one thing my wife has explicitly asked me to do everyday.
Settling on date nights being dinner and a movie when I know I am capable of being much more thoughtful about how we can invest our time together.
Pretending to be asleep in the morning so she has to take the dog out to the bathroom! (I'm such a selfish loser!)

In regards to my pastoral leadership...

Though you may see many great experiences I am blessed to have as the lead pastor of theMOVEMENT through the hashtags #seeEDpastor and #seeEDpreach what you don't see is me:

Struggling to effectively lead the church staff.
Procrastinating on my sermon preparation.
Abdicating my responsibility to lead because I'd rather be liked by men than obedient to God.

In regards to my finances...

Though I am currently enrolled in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, what you don't see is me...

Resisting creating and sticking to a budget.
Neglecting to aggressively pay off debt because I'd rather have the latest pair of Jordans.
Overspending on eating out because I refuse to develop the discipline of shopping for food and cooking at home.

In regards to my heart...

Though many people have said that my "heart" is what they appreciate about me the most, what you don't see is me...

Being more frustrated with others' sin than I am with my own.
Giving up on people even though God has not given up on me.
Envying the blessings of others to the point where I am blind to God's blessings to me.

So what is the point of sharing these (there are many more!) inadequacies with you?

As sick to my stomach as it makes me to think about my many shortcomings, the point is this: if God can call, equip, use, and bless a prideful, irresponsible, selfish knucklehead like me, He can do the same with you!

Since the beginning of time, God has been using busted and broken men and women, just like me and you, to accomplish His purposes on earth and bring glory to Him in heaven. It's just what God does.

Though by the time my life is through there will be many failures by which I could place the hashtag #seeEDfail, I am trusting that when all is said and done, the hashtag that will be placed next to my name will be #seeGODredeem!

Can you trust Him to do the same with you?

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9