Forget This {the other moments}

Before I share any more "Remember This" posts, I want to get real with you. For every beautiful moment in my day that I want to remember, there's another moment I wish I could forget- the kids fighting, me unfairly correcting one of them, a screaming baby, an unkind word from kid to kid, another unkind word from me, a bathroom whose cleaning is long overdue, me getting angry.

And there is a woman that is standing on my shoulder judging me. She's perfect. And I find I compare myself to her over and over and over again.

You see, I made her. She's a figment of my imaginings and a collection of best qualities in all the women I know. 

She's a little bit of my friend whose house always looks like the cleaning lady just left,

and my friend who makes almost everything her family uses,

a little of my friend who always has a fun activity for her kids,

and some of my friend who shows hospitality to almost every person she's ever met,

a bit of my friend who has such mad decorating skills that her home belongs in a magazine,

and my friend who hand-makes every card and gift,

a little of my friend who has such encouraging things to say to everyone,

and some of my friend who seems to spend the bulk of her day playing on the floor with her kids,

a bit of my friend who budgets like an accountant,

and touch of my friend who can garden like nobody's business,

and a lot of my friend who speaks unfailingly kind to her children.

And she haunts me.

I just can't be her, and again my Bible comes to my rescue. 

"With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone." (Ps.71:16)

My kids don't have a perfect mom, and they know it. But if there was a perfect mom, there wouldn't be a need for Jesus. And I am called to use my failings to remind my children and myself of the Lord's righteousness, His alone. He is the only one who never failed, and I lay in bed many a night so overwhelmed with gratefulness that when God the Father looks at me, He sees Jesus...regardless of the day I had or the moments I would like to forget.