So I've been thinking lately that maybe our quest for perfection is misdirected. Being the "perfect" mom, having the "perfect" marriage, finding the "perfect" balance of our time (you get the idea) is exhausting! Maybe instead of searching for perfection, we should find contentment in "good enough".
Think about it. If we stopped complaining that our marriages were not quite what we wanted, and instead started seeking out the beauty and goodness in them, wouldn't we find more peace and joy in that marriage? And what if we didn't spend so much time guilting ourselves over all the things we aren't doing perfectly in our parenting? Think about all the time and brain-energy we could save for actually enjoying our little ones, and maybe (just maybe) laughing at our mistakes along the way! Don't even get me started on balancing our time! I'm pretty sure in some seasons of life it is impossible, no matter how hard we try. And that is okay. How about we shrug our shoulders and say, "I'm doing the best I can today, and if my heart is right, it will be enough for all that needs to be done."
I don't know about you, but I'm tired. Tired of trying to juggle all the balls and wear the superwoman cape and pretend like there's even the possibility of having it all together all the time. Life is not static, it's more like a tribal dance. It's beautiful, but wild. We can't have our act together all the time. Let's be okay with that. I think we'll find there's a lot more breathing room in "good enough" than in our quest for the holy grail of perfection.
I will probably always look for how I can be "better" at the areas in my life that are important to me. I doubt I'll ever stop trying to be a better mom or a better wife or a better manager of my time--frankly, I don't want to. I want to seek to be the best me I can be at any given moment. But I also want to learn to have grace enough to accept myself "as is" while on the journey. Instead of seeking the elusive perfection, maybe I can learn to smile when I don't hit the mark. Maybe I can look to the heavens and say, "You know my heart, Lord. Show me where to go from here, and help me to be at peace with myself and those around me today as I continue to seek becoming the best me you've designed me to be."
This week I am linking up with A Life in Balance, Darling Downs Diaries, Messy Marriage, Women with Intention, Mom's the Word and Simple Moments Stick!
I completely agree, Summer. In fact, I wrote a post about this very subject called "Grace, Not Perfection". We need to allow ourselves some grace in this area because no matter how much we wish it, we won't be perfect. We might as well stop killing ourselves by trying. Thanks for the encouraging reminder.
ReplyDeleteI used to try so hard to be the superwoman when we had our first two children, doing everything, being in everything. It was hard to keep this going. When we had our second lot of two children when our youngest was 10 I decided that I didn't want to be supermum any more, I wanted like you to be the best I could be but I didn't want to waste my energy on goals that I just couldn't achieve. Now I do my best and leave the rest to God, I am still human and my attitudes do sometimes slip away and I start thinking I can do this and that and then I am quietly convicted to be still. Thanks for linking this great post up at Good Morning Mondays and for the great reminder. Blessings
ReplyDelete<3 You're such a wonderful mom, especially in realizing that you don't need to be perfect! I love the new look for the blog. :-)
ReplyDeleteYour 100% right we have to accept good enough sometimes. I really have gotten better with the years, but still stress out from time to time. Great Post!
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