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In my dreams, my world flows like a 1950’s sitcom. My house is always clean, my attempts at cooking convince guests that I am an undercover gourmet chef, and my relationships within my most intimate circles are always happy and healthy. In my dreams, my DIY projects would always turn out spectacular, and I would always know the perfect solution to life’s hiccups.
However…in reality, my life looks nothing like June Cleaver’s world. My house is completely clean approximately four days out of the month, and often covered with a perpetual layer of beagle hair. My cooking skills and home project results tend to have more misses than hits the first time around, and I often find myself looking for the owner’s manual for this stage of my life.
It would be so convenient for me to host my own pity party at this point, on the presumption that I have fallen short of my expectations for the way that my role in life should look. But in reality, I am right where I am supposed to be. Life tends to toss me opportunities for refining. These moments are chances to change my perspective, in how I approach relationships and daily obstacles. I can breathe a sigh of relief in that knowing that it is perfectly acceptable for me to have hiccups along the way, and that if I do not have the perfectly clean house or the perfectly cooked dinner, it doesn’t take away my choice to be perfectly happy with where I am in this stage of my life.
So breathe easy this weekend. Take a moment to glance at the expectations that are driving you, and if you find that there are areas where your picture might be unrealistic, consider letting yourself off the hook and experience the perfectly wonderful freedom of grace for this moment.
photo and apron patterns bhg.com
I like that…. it is true thoughts of wisdom to see that beauty even through the clouds.
very true…it’s when we get caught up in the “unrealistic demands” of life that we miss the opportunity for those “special” moments with our children, spouses,and others….It is time to slow down and remind myself that I may have less than I want, but I have more than I need, so I am truly blessed!
amdn! grace is a wonderful thing and women are really bad at extending it to themselves!
Love it! And so true too. I can empathize with the layer of dog hair. It’s impossible to completely vacuum up unless the dog is out of the house, but focusing on that would drive anyone crazy. Thanks for the reminder!
P.S. Love the new format too, congrats
Great reminder! It’s so easy to fall short of ideal, and then kick yourself for it. Thanks for the reminder that sometimes “good enough” is ideal.
Precious picture! Such a great reminder because sometimes the stress of being “Perfect” is just too much! Then I am reminded I don’t have to be!
Okay, the dog hair comment hit a sore spot… and made me feel a little better. We are perpetually covered in pet fur around here.
I had to do the same with parenting. That is, look at what expectation were unrealistic and then refuse to believe them or change them. Yes, there are some people that can have a completely clean home and well mannered children, but alas I am not one of those people. Glad I’m not the only one.
Yep, pet fur….CHECK! We warn people about wearing black at our house!
“grace for the moment” I love that!
Release & contentment are 2 words that God has laid on my heart – I am camping out on them currently, and this was another affirmation that I hear God speaking in many ways ~ including through you in this article. ♥
Great article! Life can be too crazy to skip out on the grace for ourselves and for others!
Guess what was used as a devotion at our preschool teacher’s devotion!? THIS POST!!!! By a teacher that I had no clue had even checked out Domestic Ease!! I was SO excited when our director started reading it!! This is a great post!!
Beth, that is incredible!!! I know that this is a lesson that I revisit on a regular basis, and it is nice to be able share it with others as encouragement! Thanks for letting me know!
Thanks for this reminder. You know me and my pity parties. They are growing a bit less frequent as I come to know the true nature of God. That he loves us even if we aren’t perfect, and he’s much more concerned about the condition of our hearts…. I love reading this!!