I feel you.

I never had really thought about it, until I was asked by a friend, "How do you always have it all together? You always have all your ducks in a row and you're on top of all of your work, how do you do it all?"

I immediately laughed. I thought to myself, "Are you kidding me? I'm in absolute shambles most of the time."

I realized in that moment that I had gained this thought that I need to be "on" at all times for other people. They didn't need to see that I may have just failed a quiz, or I just got in a fight with my parents, or I had just gotten broken up with, or that I had about a thousand and one things to do that day, or that I had slept four hours the night before. No, I put on a smiling face because I want them to see that my life is just going perfectly and that they were my priority. I put up a wall to the "real" in my life.

Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator

But I am broken.

And to the people who wonder how your friends who "have it all together" do it and you feel you should be more like them.

We are all broken.

Nobody "has it all together".

Don't get me wrong, life is good. Life is really good. I have an abundance of blessings and I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's. But it is no secret that our lives are never perfect.

Because if life were all fine and dandy all the time, we would never experience growth, knowledge, or wisdom. We would never really know the true and pure feeling of overcoming a challenge. Pure happiness wouldn't feel as good because it would be all we know. Sometimes you've got to lose in order to gain. If I had never gone through a hard time, I would not be the strong-willed person that I am today. If I had a life that was easy to maintain, I would never see the Lord in the incredible ways I am able to. Because it is down in the valleys where we see the Lord raise us up to the top of the mountains again. What a true vision of the Gospel.

I want more vulnerability.

I want more transparency.

When someone asks, "How are you today?" I want to be able to say, "Actually not the best," and feel confident in knowing that that is absolutely okay. Because let's face it, nobody has a perfect life, and, yes, some are better or worse off than others, but the one thing we have control over is the attitude we have about our situation.

So let's be more encouraging. Let's support one another and not expect so much. Let's put less pressure on ourselves (still working on this one myself) and stand in freedom amongst the shambles. Let's lean harder into the Lord so that we can withstand the times of trial.

Don't worry if you don't "have it all together" and stop always trying to. You aren't supposed to. See the joy that comes with brokenness and shine brightly within it, your world will feel more put together with the glue the Lord provides in His compassion. Be open to that capital-T Truth and live this life in the best way you can: alongside the One who created it.