Now that two episodes of Next Great Baker have aired, I have heard quite a few comments about how certain contestants have been portrayed, especially since some of it had to do with how people perceive the way my daughter and I were treated. And it’s also caused me to think about broader issues that apply to everyone.  So, here’s my opinion, for what it’s worth:

1. Anyone can be made to look bad…anyone! Try to replay what you said or did over the last 24 hours. What if someone only saw the times you lost your temper, or when you got frustrated with a coworker, or when you picked your nose or raised your voice with your kids? And that’s the only thing they saw? What would they think of you then? Anyone can look bad if you only see a few negative things about them.

Believe me when I tell you that any one of us on this show, or any other show for that matter, could be portrayed in a negative light by creative editing. Any of us. Remember that what you see isn’t all there is to see. Which brings me to my second point:

2. You don’t know the whole story. Context is a wonderful thing, but few of us have it. All of us on the show knew we were giving away our right to be represented as we desired. They couldn’t put words in our mouth, but they could certainly choose the ones they aired or which of our actions they included.

But what about the things you don’t know about?  What you all didn’t see was the tremendous stress we were all under. You didn’t know the difficulties each contestant had overcame in their life, or what major struggles they were currently experiencing. You didn’t see the many simple of acts of kindness shown to each other, the funny jokes, or the words of encouragement shared.

What if you had? I guarantee your opinion would be different….very different. And that’s my point. Do you really know the whole story about the people you bump into each day? Of course not. You don’t know that the driver who cut you off just had a heated argument with their abusive ex. The lady who was rude to you at the checkout is caring 24/7 for a parent with dementia. The teenage punk who flipped you off? He’s considering suicide.

And the folks who bump into you don’t know your struggles, either. Wouldn’t life be better for all of us if we extended grace to one another, instead of passing instant judgment? What if we gave each other the benefit of the doubt, a second chance, a do over? Said a quick prayer for the rude driver instead of shouting a curse? You get the idea.

3. It’s just TV, y’all. So for all those people out there sending flaming, vulgar tweets and wishing bodily harm on reality TV people because of what is said or done on a show, please, get a life. A real one. In case you didn’t know, reality TV isn’t exactly real. Is it really worth getting upset over what so-and-so said or did, to the point your blood pressure pops and you zing out a nasty tweet or ugly Facebook post? Before you send out your opinions into cyberspace, take a good look at yourself first: and he who is without sin can cast the first stone.

4. I would like to say publicly to please give the Purple Team a break. They are not the people you think they are from just watching the show. For example, you weren’t there to hear the softness in their voices when they talked about how much they missed their kids and how determined they were to provide them with a better life. And you don’t know their life struggles, either. So please, give Bethany and Jennifer a break. And give Ginger from the Grey Team a break, too. Remember, any one of us on the show could have been portrayed negatively. And that includes me.

And to be honest, do you really want to watch a TV show where everyone holds hands and sings Kumbayah together? How boring would that be?

One final thing: I have realized that when others feel you have been slighted, it’s easy to just accept their pity and not stand up for the ones accused of hurting you. Which is why I wrote this post. It would be unfair of me to say nothing when Bethany and Jennifer are being unfairly viewed in their treatment of me. Bethany and Jennifer are both talented ladies and loving mothers. And I wish them all the best.

P.S. I’m adding this to my original post, because people have been very complimentary and I want to be completely transparent. When the negative comments were directed toward the other team, I was not as quick to defend them as I should have been. I would say a few good words about them, but I stayed mostly silent, thinking what I might say wouldn’t make much difference. But as the week went on, God showed me that was just an excuse, because a part of me actually enjoyed seeing them being criticized, because I was a little hurt by what they said.  It took me a while to see this about myself, but God wants us to have pure hearts and He knew this was an area where I needed to see the truth. All of us have areas of hypocrisy. The revealing process is not pleasant at first, but the freedom that comes from submitting to His work in our hearts is a precious thing. Hopefully the next time God puts His finger on something in your heart, YOU won’t have to write a public blog post about it, like I am! But hey, it’s a small price to pay to walk in more of His freedom!

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