If you’ve ever felt pressure to be perfect, let me remind you—real is greater than perfect.
You’ve probably seen it written somewhere on my site—Real > Perfect.
It’s short. It’s simple. But behind those three characters is the heart of everything I believe about healing, faith, and walking with Jesus.
When I Stopped Pretending
For so long, I thought I had to hold it all together. That I had to look okay, act okay, and be okay even when I wasn’t.
Because if people knew the truth—the brokenness, the anger, the moments I fell apart—they’d run. They’d judge. Or they just wouldn’t understand.
But it wasn’t until I finally fell to my knees—exhausted, broken, and tired of pretending—that my healing truly began.
Real is more powerful than perfect.
Perfection Is a Lie
Perfection is a lie the enemy loves to use. It keeps you striving, comparing, and hiding.
It whispers that you’ll never be enough unless you have it all together.
But Jesus never asked us to be perfect.
He asked us to be real with Him—honest, surrendered, and open.
That’s why I say Real > Perfect. Because real leads to connection.
Real opens the door for healing.
Real says, “Me too.”
Why Real Is Greater Than Perfect
When you see that phrase across my site, know this:
It’s not a brand or a catchy line—it’s a declaration.
A reminder to myself—and to you—that God does His best work in broken places.
And if all you can do today is show up as the real you?
That’s more than enough.
Let’s keep walking this thing out together.
Imperfect, honest, and full of grace.
Real is greater than perfect. Always.
Want to know more about why I started this blog? Read my story here.
For more encouragement on identity and grace, read this devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries.
Reading this great blog because Marilyn sent it to me! Thank you for sharing. Also for loving Marilyn into your family! She’s a precious friend and sister in the Lord!
Sweet Mary Lou! Thank you for going on this journey with me and having enough faith in our precious Marilyn (M&M) that you accepted her invitation to join me :)! We love that sweet girl like no other and are thankful beyond anything for her and my dad’s amazing future together! I pray each and every post will bless you immensely and you will feel the Holy Spirit speaking to your soul throughout! Lots of Love, Jen
This is amazing! My husband is battling stage 4 lung cancer that has metastases to his brain with over 25 lesions and 4 tumors. Hospice was brought in the first of April. He is now termin̈al. I am his categiver and wife. This is the hardest thing ever to try to understand why my 47 year old husband is going to be taking away from me and our girls way to soon. Your website is amazing and gives me hope we will all get through this tragic situation.
Brooke!!! Please know first of all, you’ve got my prayers for Tony, no doubt! And, my gracious, my heart hurts for you with what you are having to endure, as you said, he is so young, and you both have found your true love in each other. When mama made her journey to Heaven, one thing I know now that I never realized before that horrific event was that God understands! He understands the anger, and it’s ok to be angry, and allow yourself to go through whatever emotions hit you with pure transparency with Him. In this, you will feel His comforting presence every time. I will touch on grief and God’s grace through it all. But, never feel guilty about the rollercoaster of emotions. Go to Him in a quiet place away from everyone and scream out your hurt and concerns. I did that many times the weeks following CC’s passing, and at the end of every breakdown, miraculously, I ended up praising Jesus…those were experiences I had with our Heavenly Father, I will never forget! I love you and pray for you, honey! Thank you for your support, all for God’s glory! Love, Jen
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