
The Pursuit of Perfection
One of the things that has surprised me the most about motherhood is all the things that have surprised me. This is partially due to the fact that I entered the world of parenting with the unrealistic expectation that I would be a perfect mother. Over the years I have discovered I am not the only one. Even with the best of intentions, it isn’t possible to even achieve perfection much less maintain it. Since that is the very standard society requires, we obediently set our sights on “sweet success”, believing every other mother in the world has this “adulting” thing well under control.
Well, surprise! Turns out none of us do.
For centuries women worldwide have battled the same frustration and false sense of failure. There isn’t anything wrong with striving for excellence in everything we do, but there’s a difference between putting ourselves on a pedestal of pride in our own abilities and doing what is best for our children. Inevitably, we’ll fall from our perch just to climb right back up and promptly fall again. Fortunately, we don’t have to depend on our own efforts or accept society’s expectations. God told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that we have access to something much stronger than ourselves and much wiser than the world.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
He sees our desire to provide the best for our children and understands that we feel more and more defeated every time we fail to reach perfection. The world tells us we must rely on ourselves and be independent, but our Creator longs for us to trust Him in all things. He takes our imperfections and failures and transforms them into opportunities to glorify Him.
This dos not insinuate that we will suddenly make all the right decisions, say all the right things, or do everything perfectly. We won’t. We can’t. But that doesn’t mean we are failing. It offers us the comfort of relying on His strength, not our own. It promises us that He will cover our weaknesses with His sovereign grace. It gives us the privilege of reflecting Him to those around us. In other words, when we take our focus off our own imperfections and give them to God, we grow closer to Him. And as we grow closer to Him we become better equipped to be the mother we want to be – the one our children need – the mother God designed us to be.
REFLECTIONS FOR YOU
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- Do you live in the shadow of perfection?
- How does this affect your day to day life?
- How does it affect your child?
- Are their areas of your life that you need to let go of and give to God?
DISCIPLESHIP FOR THEM
“Well, there goes my mother of the year award.”
For decades this was my way of trying to cope with my feelings of failure. I wish I had been more aware, however, of the effect my “joke” was having on my kids. My negative self-talk left them with the impression that perfection IS possible. We have been given a very important responsibility to disciple our children, but we cannot guide their spiritual growth unless we are nurturing our own.1.Stay in the Word
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- Model healthy self-talk.
- Voice your own struggles and victories with perfection.
- Guide them when they pursue perfection.
Whether your child is a baby, a child or a teen, my prayer is that He will make you aware aware of the opportunities to discipleship your child through their own pursuit of perfection.
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Robin Kelley
I am just an ordinary middle-aged woman striving to make a difference one word at a time. . . no matter what hat I am wearing at the time.


