Permission Granted

 I have always made the stand that we are way too hard on ourselves. I feel like so much of our stress is about what we feel like we should be, or what we wish we were. I know I struggle with this on a regular basis, and see it frequently in the stresses of girls I talk to on a regular basis.


We want to be all that we see is wonderful around us, we want to be that organized mom who has it together. We want to be ordered, calm and manage our homes and lives well. We love the moms who speak well, write well, perform well, whose homes and lives are our model for everything we wish we were. We can let ourselves get a bit stressed by the idea of wanting to be all those things!


But, it is possible you are aiming too high? Could it be that some of your stress is from the feeling like you need to be more than you are, and not what you actually need to be?

By that I mean ...could it be that we expect of ourselves more than is necessary, to really accomplish what God has called us to? I think so. I know so, for me.

One area that I think we tend to beat ourselves up is the area of order in our homes (guilty!) ...I think we need to strive for excellence, and need to provide for an orderly home for the sake of our families. But how "together" do we really need to be?

How many "i"s need to be dotted, and "t"'s crossed? How many lists actually need to be made to get it all done? Do you need a planner with 15 different organizing features to feel like you can manage your role as a wife, mom, etc? ..you may! ..But, you may not.

How organized to you really need to be? According to a friend,  Linda Durham, the Gentle Organizer of  Organizing Matter says  As organized as we  need to be to handle what life throws at us."

I love that!

Order is such a relative term ..really. I know that I am okay with much more clutter than many people, and relative to others I am a perfect Suzy homemaker :)  In order to function, I can ignore the dirty dishes in the sink ...others, may not be able to think straight if the floors arent mopped and the laundry put away.

I think we need to strive to know ourselves and our families. We need to strive for that level of order that allows for our families to be calm in their environment, productive in their tasks, and free to put their priorities of learning character and how to love God first and foremost!

We need to strive for the degree of order that gives us the tools we need to manage life ...and let the rest go. Its OKAY if having dishes in the sink dont stress you or your family out! It doesnt matter that Ms. Suzy Q cant sleep without her cans being alphabetized, if it doesnt bother you ..then let it go!

So ..you have my permission to let go of your need to be like what you think you should be, and pray that you can strive more to be what you need to be for the sake of living your life for God's glory! :)