Perfect

It has recently been brought to my attention that I spend a good chunk of my time trying to look good and appear to have it all together. And by look good I don't mean my clothes or hair, I mean look like the kind of person every one wants me to be. I use a lot of energy to do everything right and never to make a mistake and to always be....perfect.

Today I God has begun to get very strict with me about this. Loving, but strict. Perfection is not for me, and it's not for you either. Perfection belongs to Him and Him alone. We were made in His image and then Some yahoos ate something they weren't supposed to and now we are BROKEN.

He is showing me that my energy could better be used to serve Him, Praise Him, and to listen. Instead of making the perfect dinners every night and having the cleanest house on the block. Instead of volunteering for every. single. school function, maybe I should be reaching out and helping someone in true need.

One small caveat here, this is not a get out of every responsibility you have free card. This is just for those of us who are spending every waking minute trying to be the best at everything and failing at the one thing that is truly important. How we look in His eyes. Look on as a loving parent, what things make you proud? What things do your children do that glorify you? We are His children. Are we acting that way? Are we being polite and loving to EVERY ONE of His children? Whether they are easy to love or not! Are we using ALL of our earthly recourses, given to us by Him, to serve His people? Generous, loving, praise filled, and kind. That's what I want God to see when He looks at me.

When I get to heaven it is not going to matter what my floors look like. It is not going to matter whether or not I did all of the right bake sales or if all of the people on earth thought I was the coolest. If my heart is not in the right place and if my priorities aren't straight I will have to account for that.

So today I am putting down my super woman cape and picking up my real job as a child of God. I will do my best to serve where He is leading me to serve. If for some reason I mess up and look like a hot mess to my fellow human I will forgive myself and not obsessively beat myself up, because I will know that I chose what was better.


At the Home of Martha and Mary

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things,42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."