This morning I left my kitchen in a complete disaster as I shuffled our family out the door for church. Did I mention that we were fifteen minutes late and that my daughter was still wearing her pajamas and dirty diaper? Yes, I’m #ThatMom. It’s so tempting now to end my day counting every failure and criticizing my mistakes. Many times I over schedule myself and then become frazzled because I let myself become stretched a little too thin. I don’t even want to talk about how many times we have eaten pizza two nights in a row instead of the healthy meals I had originally planned. So in my failures, how do I become the mom and person that I want to be; By embracing grace.
I begin by validating the small victories and acknowledging that I may have done something right. That means the mornings when I start with my knees on the floor, saying “Jesus, I need you today” that I haven’t failed for recognizing my need for God’s presence in my life. That is where life starts for me as a mom, and it’s ok that I can’t always do it right.
This morning, I failed to leave our house in a state of peace. As we drove to our church, I wondered if it wouldn’t have been simpler to have just stayed home. Again, during our worship service, I closed my eyes and allowed mind wondered back to the sink of dirty dishes and my embarrassment at feeling like I had failed as a mom. Was it worth it? “Jesus, I need you today”… After I had opened my eyes, I realized my fifteen-month-old I was holding had her arm stretched up to heaven, proud that she was mimicking other adults in the room. That’s when I knew, yes, it was worth it.
As parents, we need to evaluate what we are doing right and grow from there. If we consider ourselves as failures, then our parenting goals will always be just a little too far out of reach. Instead, consider embracing grace in the areas where you struggle and celebrate the small victories!
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
