Happy Thursday!

It felt sort of strange not to go to class tonight. But I am so looking forward to going to my class in Pastoral Care this summer at Brite.

2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is make perfect in weakness.”

Grace. According to my Coffee Mom’s Devotional, “grace is having a commitment to—or at least an acceptance of—being ineffective and foolish.”

My Mom is perfect. At least I have always looked at her as the epitome of the perfect Mom. The house was always perfect even when my brother and myself would mess it up. I must admit I was usually the one who made the biggest messes. The laundry was always perfect. Her cooking was and still is, as my cousin Tony once said, “Aunt Nita’s leftovers are better than most people’s first times.” She seemed to always be together and completely collected. I must admit I have spent most of my adult life comparing myself to her and falling so short. (She will tell you that she was far from perfect, but I know better!) My dear husband always told me that I am not the same as my Mom and that I should stop beating myself up for not being perfect. (I never even came close.)

What I really needed was to remember that I was placing someone else’s expectations of themselves onto me. What I have learned after almost thirty years of marriage and parenting is that I do not have to be perfect. I set up unrealistic expectations for myself and set myself up to be disappointed in me. My joy was slowly slipping away.

God’s grace was always extended to me to not be perfect and I just did not see it or accept it as His wonderful gift of love. God did not determine my value by a clean and tidy house, a hallway free of laundry and a sink of dishes needing my attention. God wanted to know about my heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 says “…the Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I do not have to be perfect because the Lord tells me in His Word that His grace is enough and that by His grace I have been forgiven.

So to all of the coffee moms out there striving to be Super Mom, our kids really do not care whether we are perfect as housekeepers, or laundresses or even master chefs in the kitchen. Our kids care that when they need us we are there for them. We can be assured that we are loved just as we are because God’s grace is perfect and we do not have to be.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all so much, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.