The Better Mom

I don't want to be the mom who "looks" like she has it all.

I don't want to be the mom struggling because she's trying to have it all.

I want to be the mom who knows she's already got it all, the one content with who she is, where she is and what she has. And I want my children to grow up seeing that contentment.

Comparison truly is the thief of joy. You simply cannot have both on a regular basis.

Pressure is everywhere for us Mommas, and unfortunately, we are usually the ones hardest on ourselves. There are the Mommy Fashionistas, the Naturalist Mommies, Master Crafter Mommy, the Fitness Guru Mommies, the Queen of Organization Mommies, the Cook-Everything-From-Scratch-Mommies, the Never-Stressed, Easy-Going Mommies, and hundreds more categories we could put ourselves into.

But don't you see the danger in that?

Comparison breeds discontentment, it tells you that you are not good enough. And it is a liar. Because, let's face it, you can't be the best at everything. And you don't have to be. Take a minute to let that sink in.

You are who God made you to be, you're the woman He picked to mother the children that He gave you.

A dear friend once told me that we tend to compare our worst attributes to someone else's best. Whoah. There's some serious truth in that. An honest evaluation of myself tells me that I am much better at some things than other things. And there are lots of Mommies who are really good at the things that I stink at. But that doesn't mean they're good at everything. And it doesn't make them a better Mom. Just because they are more fit than I am doesn't mean they have it all together. It simply means that fitness is one of their strong suits. Who knows...maybe they are totally unorganized and their house is a mess. Or maybe not. But whatever the case, we need to remember that while it is great to admire a Mom for something she does well, it is a terrible idea to then assume she's got it all together and life is just a breeze for her. But that's exactly what we do. We see a quality we admire in a Mom, then we assume that she's great at everything, got it all together, and we must be total failures. Comparison lies, ladies.

There isn't time enough in a day to be the best at everything. And thank God, we don't have to be. He created you and you are uniquely His. When you hate yourself, you're hating His precious creation. The Bible says that I am a child of God, a friend of Jesus, that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, that I was chosen by Him. Isn't it marvelous to know that you were created and chosen by the God of the universe?

The Bible also tells me that I am complete in Christ. No matter what the world tells me, no matter how many times the enemy roars in my ear to tell me otherwise, I am complete in Him. Colossians 2:9-10 says,"For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority." 

Take some time today to be who you are and stop trying to be who you're not. There is freedom in Christ and in being who you were made to be. Embrace it.