I think this picture of my baby pretty much sums up my life.
No matter how hard I try, there is always one sock missing.
The other day we had two appointments on the calendar. I rehearsed with the kids our schedule for the day, I packed lunches, I made sure I had a bottle ready, and I even got the house all picked up so that it would look perfect when we returned home. I was trying so hard. We checked off all the subjects for school, we all had clean bodies and all the kids nails were finally trimmed. Then, fearing that Colby’s rather casual pace would make us late to the appointment, I tried to motivate him by using an abrasive tone and shame tactics. In my desperate attempt to execute the day perfectly, I failed.
Lesson Learned: I will NEVER have it totally together.
Not only will I never attain perfection, but neither will my house.
Even if there IS a moment
when the last of the laundry is folded and put away,
the kitchen sink winks back at me with a shiny reflection,
the carpet’s vacuum lines are freshly parallel,
the bathroom smells like sanitized lemons,
the dust has all been eradicated,
and the toothpaste has all been chiseled from the sink…
It will only last…until somebody moves.
Even if I did somehow manage to keep my house to looking like a museum, I will still fall short in my relationships, snap at my mom when she puts cups on the wrong rack of the dishwasher, or passive-aggressively punish Colby with silence when he chooses to read the Drudge Report instead of participating in garage-cleaning day. And, if I’m able to make it a whole day where I’m not critical of my husband and I only rebuke my kids in gentleness and love, there are inevitably attitudes of my heart that still miss the mark of perfection.
One sock is always missing.
This is rather new concept for me. Not that I wasn’t taught verses like Romans 3:23 or 3:10. I knew in theory that I was a sinner, but since I’ve become a wife and mother I have come to a new knowledge that has been both breaking and beautiful. I realize now more than ever how desperate I am for Jesus and His grace. I will never have it together and that’s okay. He is the only one who did. As I learn to live in an imperfect world and in an imperfect body, I rest on His righteousness that makes me whole. I hope you do too.
I loved this post! And the funny thing is, I always have one sock on! It used to drive my old roommate crazy. I start off with two, and then as the day goes on someone always happens to one of them. Ha and I never match my socks either, so when one goes missing, it’s not like the pair is ruined :).
And nice writing style! I’m tryin to figure out how to follow you…
Thanks for the story; I have a SUBSCRIBE button that you can click on. I need to figure out how to show my followers; Will work on that today.
Today every single save in my house seems messy and chaotic. Halfway through the day, my tone got sharp. Not the best of days, but still blessed. I needed to read your post today! Thanks!
*space, not save
Great post. Sounds like my life. I’m always trying to push the kids to go somewhere, always in a rush and I end up being short with them. I appreciated your transparency. Enjoyed visiting from WLW.
Such truth….if this were heaven and we could be perfect, we wouldn’t need Grace. God loves us even with one sock missing 🙂 Great post!
We never have it together. You are so right! Sometimes I just want my clean bathroom to last longer than the 20 minutes it took me to get it that way. I love to read your writing. I subscribed in a feed but would rather receive emails if you offer that option; I couldn’t find it. Thanks!
Thanks Keri! I’m not sure what you mean by receiving emails. Can you explain how I would set something like that? I am rather technologically challenged, but I could have someone set up that feature if it was helpful!