Give Yourself a Little Grace

You’re working, reading, binge-watching Netflix, scrolling your social accounts, you name it.

Suddenly, your mind starts to wander.

Maybe you should have spent more time with your family today. Maybe you should have cleaned your house or gotten that workout in, or spent more time doing something, anything, besides what you were doing.

A few weeks ago, I was in this exact position. Although I was taking care of tasks that needed to be done, I began to question my day and allow my thoughts to do a number on my peace and happiness.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The hot summer temperatures had finally come down a little, making for a great day to tackle some necessary yardwork. I was in the front yard pulling weeds and sprucing up our flowerbeds for fall. I could see my daughter through the window in her playroom, while my husband watched sports on tv. Ultimately, everyone was content and doing what they wanted to do. But, it still hit me.

Guilt for being outside working instead of being inside playing with my daughter.

Guilt for not enjoying the day with my husband.

Ultimately, guilt for not being enough.

After a while, I asked my daughter to come outside and help me. With a little screen time bartering, she happily obliged. While we were pulling weeds and talking, my daughter tells me, “Mom, you are the best mom in the whole world.”

We weren’t playing or doing something fun. We weren’t grabbing ice cream at our favorite little shop. We weren’t on an amazing vacation at the beach or Disney World. We were doing chores in the hot Alabama sun.

Yet, it was in that moment that my daughter, without really knowing it, chose to bless me with her words. Words that reaffirmed me as a good mother. A loving mother. A mother that doesn’t always get it right, but a mother who tries and who is still enough. And it was in that moment that I remembered that sometimes, you need to give yourself a little grace.

When we are with a friend who is down on herself for ANY reason, we are quick to come to her defense. We tell her it is going to be ok. We remind her of her worth and value.

One reason I believe that we fall into the trap of self-doubt has to do with the “if” lies.

If only you had a little more time to do the things you need to do, then you could be caught up around the house. If only you made a little more money, then you could have the home you want or go on that family vacation you’ve been dreaming of. If only this or that, THEN you could be the kind of wife, mother, or woman you want to be. And then, you would be enough.

These lies that we believe are always on attack, ready to degrade our womanhood and motherhood. Little whispers about our image, our work, our homes, and our families are constantly beating us down and saying that we aren’t enough.

And the truth is, we aren’t.

We need grace.

And more specifically, we need the kind of grace that only Jesus can bring.

It’s the kind of perfect grace that takes our insecurities, inabilities, and imperfections, and transforms them into something beautiful. It’s the kind of grace that says, my child, in Me, you are enough. Your work is enough. Your days are enough. What you have brought to the table today is enough.

There are days where you are going to smash it out of the park. And there will be days where you are lucky to get everyone fed and in bed. Not every day is going to be your best day. But both of those days shape you into the person you are. The magnificent, extraordinary woman that is you.

So, when your mind and thought life start to betray you (which eventually they will), take captive those negative sentiments and give yourself a little grace. We may not be enough, but HE is.

As you go about your day today, I hope you will take these truths and imprint them on your heart so they will always be with you.