Quit Comparing!

In the past few weeks in Bible study, we’ve been talking about worry and comparison and condemnation, as well as a few other topics. And driving home tonight, it made me realize that sometimes, when I read other blogs, I feel like everyone else has it all together. Like I’m faux Monet. From far away, everything looks great but up close it’s a big ol’ mess.

So I’d like to tell myself - and all of you - stop it. Just stop it. We all need to quit comparing ourselves to what we see on Facebook or Pinterest or other blogs. We need to quit comparing ourselves to the families that we see on Sunday morning at church who "have it all together". There’s only one person who should be our yardstick for how to live and that’s Christ.

So in the interest of being completely transparent and making sure you understand that just because I home school and garden and can and whatever else I choose to show you on this blog - understand that I do not have it all together. I don’t think that I ever will.

There are many Sunday’s that by the time I get to church, I really need to be in church because my whole family has made me stark raving loony trying to get ready and bad words have run through my head. There are days when I feed my family eggs and toast for dinner (again) despite my menu plans and Pinterest boards full of great meal ideas. There are days when the boys run around the house in their underwear all day (I don’t mind those days - it’s less laundry for me). I even once gave my boys Slimfast and a Fiber One bar for breakfast because I was running late for work and had no time. There are days when, by the time Ronnie gets home, I feel like I have been water boarded for the past eight hours and I just want to run away.

It’s OK. There are no perfect moms. It’s OK to admit this. We don’t need to be perfect. We don’t need to push our ideals on others or tout our accomplishments for the purpose of making ourselves feel better (and sometimes making others feel worse). What works for me won’t necessarily work for you and vice versa.

We need to understand that there is grace, not just for the big stuff, but for the small stuff too. Quit beating yourself up over your failures. Just stop. Take a big breath and realize that God’s grace is enough to see each of us through this crazy life we live. Quit comparing yourself to someone else’s ideal and just be the girl God has called you to be.

There’s really nothing better.