Courage In My Too Much: Over-Sharing

Have you seen the (I think) new Taco Bell commercial? It is for a personal nacho thing. I think. Honestly, I have no idea, it doesn’t really matter. All I know is I love the commercial. It is a guy talking about how tired he is of sharing. We grow up being told to share: you share the sink when brushing your teeth, you share your toys. And now, you share your feelings, baby pictures on social media, selfies, the road… I laugh every time I see it. Probably because I am that over-sharer. And a mom that reminds my littles to share, to be a team, every.single.moment.

But do we? Do we over-share? Am I guilty of too much? Of sharing too much. Of being too much.

I already admitted that I am an over-sharer. I love sharing pictures of my littles, tales of their antics. I love to share life; the funny parts, the messy parts, and the grace-filled beautiful parts. I love to share my home (you can read more about my heart for my home, here), to share my time, to share a meal. I love giving gifts. Okay, that’s giving, not sharing, but giving is kind of like sharing…right?

I am also terrible at sharing. I don’t like sharing my food. My desserts. My candy. Wait. That’s all food related. Okay. I’m also terrible at sharing “my stuff.”

So maybe I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m probably being too generous with that statement. I over-share in some regards and in others, I am still learning what it means to extend myself. To truly share.

Is that okay? Is it okay to over-share, in any regard? Is there harm in it? Honestly. Can any of my over-sharing be harming people in my community. Can it be harming relationships? Is this too much, impacting those I care about in a negative way?

I don’t think it is. And here’s why. I think when we share, with an honest and vulnerable heart, we are truly opening ourselves up to one another. We are sharing in this life. In the beauty and the grace. In the mess and the pain. And through it all, we are sharing: “Me too. You’re not alone.” We are reminding each other that we cannot compare our lives to one another’s. We are encouraging each other, urging us to continue in the hard work (read more about hard work/heart work here and here). And reminding us of the promise of His glory.

When we share our life. When we truly share it: the good, the beautiful, the blessing, the grace mixed together with the mess, the painful, the ugly, the hard we are attesting to more. We are showing Him. Our Heavenly Father. We are testifying to His glory. We are proclaiming His love.

When we share the reality of life: messy, raw, and beautiful; we admit that we cannot do it all. That we are not enough. But we point to the One who is.

Are you an over-sharer? Do you over-share in an honest and vulnerable way? I would love to hear your thoughts.