Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries
The perfect mom is far from perfect.
She has not got it all figured out, nor does she expect to.
She is constantly falling short of her own expectations and well-versed in the art of seeking forgiveness from her children.
Her perfection lies in her willingness to continually ask God, “How can I be a better mom?”
When was the last time you asked God to help you be a better mom?Do you remember the moment when you decided that you wanted to become a mother?
If you are anything like me, you are going to find that memory tucked somewhere between the afternoon Ken & Barbie got married in the basement of your childhood home and that glorious day you passed your driver’s test to earn your license.
For others, the desire to have children might not have arrived until well after the stork dropped a crying babe in your lap.
It does not matter where you find that memory; the important thing is that you search for it.
I want you to remember that feeling.
The unmistakable sense of purpose and determination you felt deep within your soul at the thought of becoming a mom.
And do you also remember the feeling of inadequacy the first time you held your freshly swaddled babe?
This little person you had been so desperate to meet left you feeling utterly deprived of sense and reason.
In that moment, you realized that you truly did not know how to be a mother.
But you didn’t give up.
You made a decision to do your best, and that is what you are doing even to this day.
Parenting is not a singular task to be accomplished, but a journey of self-discovery that requires complete dependence upon our Heavenly Father.
There are many things we can accomplish in our own strength; motherhood is not one of them.
The goal is not perfection, but rather a constant desire to be better tomorrow than we were today.
The only way I know how to fix things when I screw up is to ask God to shine His light into my heart.
When we humbly ask God to reveal the false beliefs that are holding us back, we unleash His transformative power into our lives.
The perfect mom knows how imperfect she is, and she asks God to fill in the gaps.
I desire, more than anything, to be a good mother to my children.
I yearn for wisdom and pray for guidance on a daily basis, and I still spend most of my time feeling like I am failing miserably.
But, with God’s help, I will continue to strive for His version of perfection in my role as a mom.
To me, perfection in motherhood is the ability to trust God to use our imperfections for His glory in the lives of our children.
The perfect mom knows how imperfect she is, and instead of beating herself up for it, she asks God to fill in the gaps.
None of us has ever met a truly perfect mother, but we all have access to a perfect Heavenly Father.
Invite God to teach you what it means to be a perfectly imperfect mom.Invite His perfect perspective into your motherhood and you will discover what it means to be a perfectly imperfect mom.
