Perfection...

Have you ever seen your daughter be too hard on herself? My little girl gets so frustrated when she is drawing. She wants it to be perfect or the best and if it isn't "perfect" in her eyes, she crumples it up, cries, and thinks she is "terrible" at what ever she is working on or trying to accomplish.

My little girl is soooo much like me it is scary sometimes. I love her. She is bright and funny and caring and amazingly thoughtful (for being 4 anyway) but man is she hard on herself. It breaks my heart. Because she is good; she is trying; she is doing her very best, and I know her picture is amazing and beautiful and creative.

I sometimes feel that God must feel that way about me sometimes... I am trying so hard, and my intentions are good, yet I don't do it "perfectly" so I beat myself up and get frustrated and discouraged. I wonder if He wants to scoop us up, hush us, and tell us what we are doing is amazing and beautiful and creative and it is ENOUGH in His eyes.

I need to remember to display this in my everyday life. I need to remember that God sent his Son because we would never ever be perfect. That level is unattainable for us, for me. I need to know that if I feel in my heart I have loved those babies, loved that man of mine, cleaned the house, kept their basic needs met, taught them kindness to others, to each other, taught them about God's love for us to the very best of MY ability (which he knows) then that is all he asks of us. To give him our very best each day.

So that is my new standard. MY VERY BEST. My very best efforts, my very best laughter, my very best cleaning, my very best kisses and hugs to those babies, my very best attempt at scheduling and including and keeping. The guilt has to go.

So for the next couple of weeks and months if you are planning on dropping by, or visiting, or heck even if it is a planned visit and My Very Best Intentions don't meet up with my kids, my time, my day. Please forgive the piles of laundry/dishes/dust/toys that may be around. That day, loving on my babies must have needed all of MY VERY BEST that day.