Simplicity

This past Sunday was a relaxing day for my family. I was trying to tidy the house and catch up on the never ending piles of laundry, my kids were playing and using their invigorating imaginations together which I loved hearing, my husband and teenage step-son were outside working together on our yard. All of a sudden it hit me. This is what life really is all about. This. Right here, standing in my den in my workout clothes carrying a basket of freshly washed linens. Long ago when God first created Adam and Eve, He did it so that He could enjoy us and we enjoy and love Him. Part of that love is enjoying the simplicity of life. We tend to get too big for our breaches and make things so complicated and so complex, when the reality is - simplicity.
I think as women especially, we try so hard to fit that unobtainable goal of "perfection" that we miss the beauty of the imperfect blessings that God gives us in life. I’ve listed some examples that I personally have to remind myself of. Hopefully these will help you, too:

The Strain of Striving for Perfection:

~We strive to be the "perfect" wife and to meet all of our husbands needs and try to make him happy and successful in life.
 
~We strive to be the "perfect" mother making sure that our children are happy and that they have the best opportunities in life.
 
~We strive to be the "perfect" friend by making sure our friends laugh and think we are fun and loving. We try to take care of them like little mothers and meet all their needs.
 
~We strive to be the "perfect" homemaker by keeping a clean house, laundry kept up, floors swept, dishes done. We strive for the top decor and try to make our house as beautiful as a picture in a magazine.
 
~We strive to be the "perfect" woman and to fit the conformed mold of what our society and our culture says that we are supposed to look like, act like, and think like.
 
~We strive to be the "perfect" Christian by trying to volunteer enough, pray enough, read our Bible enough, help enough, sacrifice enough, be "good" enough, etc...

The Beauty of Imperfection:
 
~If we are "perfect" wives, then our husbands can never see our flaws, the real you, which makes for a deeper and closer love
 
~All that our children really want from us to for us to love them and take the time to make sure they feel that love in their own special ways.
 
~A true friend, the best kind of friend, is one who sees your flaws and loves you anyways. The number one thing all friends want, is someone who is there, through it all no matter what. You don’t have to do or be anything except to just be there, unconditionally loving them.
 
~The thing that makes a house turn into a home is what radiates throughout the walls, not on them. Make sure that your home is decorated and cleaned with laughter, joy, peace, relaxation, quiet times, confidence, security, trust, compassion, and most of all love.
 
~We are all made differently. We look different, act different, and think different. We are, each of us, divinely created to be that way. We can always improve on what God gave us and the way He made us, but the important thing is to learn to love and accept the unique way He made us first.
 
~God is love, and He gave us His gift through GRACE, not works. What He really wants from us, is a relationship with Him. Talk to Him. Stop talking sometimes and just listen to Him. Read His love letter to you, know what He says and how much He really loves you.

These are just some of the things that I struggle with on a daily basis. Within this past week alone, I have cluttered my life and my home with anger, tension, frustration, confusion, noise, intimidation, self-consciousness, and stress. I am no where near perfect! The cool thing, is that I think I am starting to be ok with that. I am learning to face my flaws and to change what needs to be changed, and to be ok with any scars that may be left behind. We are not made to just exist. We are made to have life and have it more abundantly. To live life to the fullest. To enjoy the little things and to let go of the rest. I am going to try and learn from my own words this week and do my best to make each day count. At the end of each day, I want to be able to say, "I lived, I loved, and I enjoyed every roller coaster moment of it"!