Grace upon grace...

I won't lie and tell you this "mom" thing is SOOOO easy. It isn't. It's delightful, fun, easy (sometimes, yes its easy), and yet so hard. The work is vast and great. The rewards are sweet and numerous. Some days I feel like a rockstar. Some days I'm sure a pack of wild monkeys could probably raise better humans than I could.

Yesterday was an especially not-so-easy day. We're picking up our school routine again. Miraculously, we have all adjusted to our going to bed early, napping earlier, and waking up earlier schedule. But some of us are having more trouble with reading practice.

"Because my patience runneth over and I'm awesome, we sailed right through the reading practice time, making superb timing," said me never. (Maybe not never. But definitely not yesterday.)

At the end of the day, my Mom heart was hurting. I had not handled the situation with much grace and poise. In the heat of it, there were angry words, bad moods, and crying from both parties.  (One of my fav authors describes our family a bit perfectly in her latest blog post!) Due to my daughter's inability to complete the task at hand, we were unable to attend a going away party for some dear friends. It had only added to the pain of the day.

But as I thought on it further, I was slightly comforted by a few things. First, I'm not perfect. I shouldn't pretend to be. Yes, I want my children to know me as a kind and loving Mom. A Mom who is quick to pour out encouragement and affection. But they should not look to me as some model of excellence that they hope to achieve someday. Instead, my children should know that I am not perfect. The Gospel that we have put our faith in clearly says that we aren't. (Romans 3:23) The Gospel says there is One who is Perfect. (Hebrews 4:15)

It's this Gospel that I want my children to believe, and the One who has lived this Gospel out, that I want my children to strive towards. And when my kids screw up, when things aren't going perfect, when their cups aren't running overeth with , I want them to know that its okay. It happens. But it is not an excuse to keep messing up... it is not an excuse to not even try to do better! (Romans 6) And what hope there is, for those who do believe this GREAT Gospel. We are not in this alone. The Bible clearly states that we have the Holy Spirit at work within us. (Romans 8:11) The same powerful, reckoning force that raised Christ from the DEAD, is at work within us. He guides us, instructs us, and provides us with what we need to live out this life and follow Christ.

So, today, as an imperfect believer of Jesus, I will do what I believe I am meant to do with my whole heart. I will worship God. I will glorify Him. I will make His name known and His powerful, life-changing truth known to these tiny little ears that have filled our home.