I have weeds. My yard is full of them. Since we built our house, I’ve enlisted the help of lawn care professionals to help me get my sod established and keep it weed free. This year, however, my cheapness and my pride conspired to convince me that I didn’t need no stinking lawn care guy!

“I got this,” I reassured myself as I spread chemicals across my lawn in early spring. Now, late summer finds me on my hands and knees plucking dandelions, crabgrass, clover and a half-dozen other weeds that I don’t even recognize. I don’t got this! Dejected and head hung low, I recently mumbled to my wife that I would be contacting a new lawn care company next year.

For me, there’s some connection between my lawn and my pride. One of my husbandly duties is to take care of the lawn. And this is one of those duties that, when done poorly, is on display for all to see.

I find that I worry too much about appearances, and I am not just talking about my lawn. There is a human tendency to want others to think we have it all together. But if we’re not careful, we can spend more time building a façade of well-being than we actually spend working on our well-being.

If you’re not convinced, just look at social media. How many hours are spent posting photos, typing clever comments, checking in at restaurants, liking, sharing and taking surveys? So much time is wasted carefully crafting our images.

We don’t post pictures of us arguing with our spouses or losing our tempers with our kids. Most of us don’t let the world know when we’ve been selfish or when we struggle with addictions. It’s understandable that we don’t broadcast our flaws to the world, but I think it’s important that we share them with someone.

I am guilty of keeping others at arm’s length…not letting people get close enough to see the weeds that have taken root in my life. But I keep hearing this idea that we should “let our mess become our message,” and I am trying to put that idea into action.

I’ve shared with many how my marriage nearly ended in divorce as well as my shortcomings as a husband and father, with the hope that others will identify with my struggles and see how I turned some of those things around.

Everyone is broken. We all have weeds. For some the weeds are in the front yard where everyone can see. Others hide them in the back or keep them neatly manicured so they almost look like grass.

I’m calling a new lawn care guy next year because I’ve realized I don’t know the proper techniques to eradicate the weeds from my lawn. I need someone who’s been there and done that to help me.

In what area of your life do you need someone who’s been there and done that? What struggles have you overcome that you can share with someone who may be struggling in that same area? Don’t let pride keep you from sharing your mess with others.