Perfect In Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9, "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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."


There have been days lately when I have felt so overwhelmed that I can barely stand up, let alone put one foot in front of the other.

I have been weary.

Weary: –adjective;  1. physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc.; fatigued; tired: weary eyes; a weary brain. 2. characterized by or causing fatigue: a weary journey. 3. impatient or dissatisfied with something.

The physical exhaustion of motherhood is nothing new. Heck, that kinda set in during Ella Beth's first week of life - I'd say I'm pretty used to that. Fatigue, yeah, used to that, too.

It's the "impatient or dissatisfied with something" that I'm struggling with. I have continually thought that my impatience has been directed at Ella Beth (which can be a challenge with a 4 year old) - but after prayer and journaling and searching with the help of the Holy Spirit I have realized that most of my impatience is directed at myself.

But why am I so hard on myself? It's called a foothold - Satan knows my weakest area is Perfectionism and he is using it against me. I've been a perfectionist for a very long time. Perfectionist in appearance, cleanliness, doing things well, doing things "right." But what I am finding is that the more I strive for perfection the more I fall short. If Ella Beth doesn't act well, then it's something I haven't done well. If Ella Beth speaks disrespectfully, it's because I've done something wrong. If Landon pitches a fit and has a complete melt down, it's a reflection of me as a mother.
 
All of those statements may in fact be true. But I can NOT allow myself any longer to believe the lie that I must be perfect. Christ says His power is made perfect in my weakness. Made perfect in weakness. But if I can't let go of my weakness - if I can't stop trying to "fix" it on my own - He can never make perfect.
 
I'm not talking about making me perfect. I'm talking about how He can use me. But, He can't if I won't let Him. My weaknesses are of use to my Heavenly Father, and I need to start seeing them as such. I need to stop beating myself up day after day about my failures, and instead give them over to Christ for Him to use. "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." When I boast about my reliance upon my Savior - my need for Him in every area of my life - only then can Christ's power rest on me.
 
I know that I'm not the only mama out there who struggles with this. So I encourage you, just as I am encouraging myself, to boast about our weaknesses. We are not to be proud of our sinful nature, but we are to show others how our reliance on Christ's grace and sufficiency is a true testament of His love.

Multitudes on Mondays

233. Mother's Day

234. being a mother on Mother's Day

235. being a mother after a long time thinking I may never get to be one

236. giving gifts to the special mother's in my life

237. writing letters

238. good smelling hand soap

239. a clean kitchen

240. warm mornings

241. kiddos sleeping in

242. running through sprinklers

243. a brother and sister so close they are best friends

244. fun band-aids to make boo boos feel better

245. new dresses for Ella Beth to twirl in

246. kittens that fall asleep in kiddos' arms

247. kiddos who are mesmerized by tiny noses, tails, and paws

248. old photographs

Hebrews 12:28-29 "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

Kickin' Boo-tay in da Muthahood!

My friend, Andrea, posted this on her blog and it is just too fun not to share!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Another Family Adventure

On Sunday after church, Scott surprised the kiddos and me with a new adventure. His parents showed up around 11 a.m., and we took off to an undisclosed location.

We made it to Vogel State Park about an hour later, after stopping by KFC for some yummy chicken, corn, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. :) It was such a nice day to go hiking in the mountains. The weather was at least 10 degrees (if not 15) cooler, so we enjoyed our hikes without sweating too much.

Right when we got there we were greeted by this sweet family.

The kiddos were just mesmerized at how close they were able to get to the goslings and feed them. They were just so cute!

Ella Beth found a branch to swing from, and Landon was happy to find one he could reach. :)

Ella Beth pretended for a good part of the day that she was a daddy's girl, but she assured me she was still mama's girl after our hike.

This picture CRACKS me UP! Landon was going hiking, and he was serious about it. ;)

He couldn't quite keep up, so he turned around and asked, "Where's Ella Beth?" My two are just lost sometimes without each other. Makes my heart just melt.

Quick photo with this mama to show that I really was there.

We hiked around the lake at Vogel. There is a spillway at one end that is just so pretty.

 Doesn't this picture make you feel as though the water is really moving?!?

We hiked down and around it. The kiddos went on ahead with Nana and Papa. So sweet that they ALL are holding hands.

And a picture at the bottom. It was SO loud. I was laughing b/c Nana and Papa were having to yell to get the kiddos to look at the camera.

And then Scott and Landon hiked back up a little ahead of us. This is what we found when we caught up to them. Love these two, and love them together.

Photo op with Daddy because we all love him so much!

And we ended our fun adventure with a dip in the creek. (I have NO idea where this girl gets her dramatic flare. Ha!!!)

What a great day!

Multitudes on Mondays

216. long hikes with excited kiddos

217. new family adventures in the North GA mountains

218. the beauty of nature in its most hidden spots

219. Mickey Mouse and Princess fishing poles

220. 4 year old bare footprints

221. listening to Ella Beth recite her new Bible verse from Waumba Land

222. listening to Landon repeat it

223. silly kiddos in the bathtub

224. visits from friends

225. watching blueberries grow

226. playing baseball with the kiddos in our backyard

227. hearing Ella Beth and Landon squeal with delight when they hit the ball

228. beautiful Sunday mornings

229. Scott making breakfast

230. encouraging words from a friend

231. watching movies

232. baby goslings

Psalm 118:21 "I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation."

Joy

Have you ever stopped to think how wonderful our God truly is? How everything good in our lives is completely from Him?

Have you ever stopped to think how good God truly is? Even when things are bad in our lives, are bad in the world, God is still God. And God is still good.

"The secret of being thankful is learning to see everything from [God's] perspective." Sarah Young

I love this quote because it speaks to me at my deepest core. God's perspective is so different from our own, isn't it? Our limited view disillusions us at times. Why tornadoes? Why worldwide hunger? Why massive tragedies? How does God's perspective look in light of ours?

I don't believe God likes to see tragedy strike us. We know that the world is not as He intended it to be, but sin entered and, therefore, things are not perfect.

But we can make them better.

Tornadoes, hunger, tragedies...those give us the opportunity to love others and show others who God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are: loving, kind, generous, sacrificing, serving.

James 1:2 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."

Easier said than done. Consider it pure joy to face trials? But, what if our perspective shifts a little? Could it be that trials allow us to see God's provision as well as the goodness of others? It does not bring God any joy to see us suffer. But what does bring Him joy is seeing His people help those who are suffering.

One way is to simply donate. Here is a website that lists different organizations and how you can donate to the relief of those affected by the tornadoes that hit the South.
http://www.examiner.com/home-living-in-atlanta/relief-efforts-continue-the-south

Another way is to get dirty and serve with your kiddos and your spouse! Talk about bringing joy to others...who doesn't like to see little ones helping others?!?! Not to mention, it would be a great memory to share together as a family. :)

Fun Outdoors

If you had told this "semi-prissy, likes to be clean unless I'm supposed to be dirty" Mama that I would be outside more than inside after I had kiddos...I would have told you that you were looney. But, alas! I have been fully converted by my husband and two kiddos - including my "Mom, can I get dirty today?" asking little girl.

Most of the time we are content playing in our yard, but there are times when we seek adventure. Our latest adventure was Amicalola Falls.

Monkey see, monkey do. :)

Let the adventure begin!

Our hike started out pretty leisurely...

 Landon thought he'd just run on ahead. :)

And then they both thought they would climb the stairs. Are you wondering how long that lasted?!?

 Not very long.

Now...it was about 175 steps into this adventure that I thought I might actually die. No more photos until the top. Or coherent sentences for that matter. How many more steps to go???

 Oh, only 425! I have 3 words for you: BEST WORKOUT EVER.

I made it to the top with this sweetie. I could not stop during the hike; if I stopped, I knew I would never start back again. Random strangers kept giving me words of encouragement and telling me that I was almost there. They all lied. But, we made it.

Ella Beth and Landon needed a cooling off from their strenuous rides.

We finished our adventure going down. So. Much. Easier. :) And of course we ended with a picnic and a dip in the stream.

I love being a part of this family! Even if it did mean getting out of my prissy comfort zone just a little. :)