Thursday, May 3

Beating Myself Up

Read 2 Peter 1:2-9 



“Grace and peace be yours in abundance...” 

(2 Peter 1:2) 



Sometimes I feel like life is flying by before my very eyes and all I can do is watch it pass. When I’m not busy with appointments, play dates, or errands; I’m busy with laundry, dishes, and sweeping.



When I intentionally neglect housework to pay more attention to my babies I feel bad. But when I choose to do housework over reading to my kids I feel bad. I can never win with myself. I’m my biggest critic. It’s so much easier to forgive someone else that has wronged me than it is to not feel like a failure for not getting everything crossed off my checklist.



The fact is, I can’t do it all. There are not enough hours in the day to do it all.  Instead of drowning myself in chores, I must prayerfully prioritize my days and accept the reality that some things will have to wait until tomorrow.



You can’t expect to tackle every thing life throws at you. Sometimes you have to watch the dishes pile up and be ok with it. At the same time, you’re not a horrible Mother if you tell your child that you can’t participate in doing a craft with them. They’ll survive. The trick is to not make a habit of it.



No one told me that becoming a Mom came with all sorts of Mom baggage. Guilt, worry, and anxiety were never addressed at my baby shower. Guilt of not being able to do it all or give your child everything you never had. Worry that they may not grow up to be the perfect angel you want them to be. Anxiety when your husband hoists them up on his shoulders and stands too close to the railings at the mall.



God doesn’t want us to overwhelm ourselves.



“Be anxious for nothing...” 

(Philippians 4:6) 



He wants us to fix our gaze on Him and allow Him to put everything into place.



“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, 

and all these things will be given to you...” 

(Matthew 6:33) 



Stop beating yourself up for all of the things you didn't get to.  Do the best that you can and stand proudly behind your hard days work. Call on God for the preparation and the energy to do what you need to do and don’t think for a second that He’s going to hold it against you if you leave the laundry in the dryer until the morning.



Give yourself some grace.




-Ashley K.

1 comment:

Hippy Chick said...

I love this because I totally agree that it has to be about balance. So many times when women talk about this it's about how we should let everything go and just play with our kids all day. Well, that's not good either! It has to be a balance. The balancing act of motherhood is definitely hard. Thanks for the post!