Lessons from the Charles

So, I realized that I mentioned the "Charles River Lesson" in my last post, and I've never written down what I learned while walking across the Harvard Bridge. So here goes.
It was during the summer and I was walking across the Harvard Bridge - for what reason, I don't remember. But, in the summer, it does get warm in Boston and walking around is pleasant. It's beautiful (yes, I may or may not still be in love with Boston) and the water looks super blue from a distance, even as you walk across the bridge shown here in the picture.

Note that there are boats on the Charles.

Well, this particular day, I was enjoying the sunshine, the cool breeze, and the gorgeous view. A somewhat large white boat sailed past and in its wake was not the clear/white water you would expect to see from a river that looks this blue. No, it was a dirty brown color and it reminded me that the water in the Charles isn't really something you want to be ingesting. We've all been told that despite recent improvements in the water quality of this river, it's still not great, but sometimes we want to believe that it must be fine. I mean, it looks so nice! I've known people who have jumped off the bridge in the middle (it's apparently deep enough there for it to be safe-ish) but I wonder if they saw the water for what it really was - dirty and potentially dangerous. 

As I continued walking into Boston, I thought about how this is similar to the way we live our lives. We are so good at making everything look perfect from the outside and from a distance. We are so good at convincing ourselves that the lives of the people we know are so good and oh if only our lives were as perfect... We know the true state of matters in our own lives. The struggles, the triumphs, the dreams, the realities. Sometimes, we project a brave front that makes our lives look rosier than we find them to be. But it's really not healthy - not for us and not for the others around us. 

I no longer have the privilege of waking up every morning to a beautiful view of the Charles and the Boston skyline, but this reminder has stuck with me. Not everything is as we perceive it to be. Even if sometimes it looks ridiculously awesome. So let me be the first to tell you that while there are many things that I am thankful for in my life right now, I by no means have it all together. But that is precisely why I can't rely on my own strength to get through everything - what a blessing to know the One who has everything under control. Always has, always will.