Perfection is so Overrated

Hi everyone, and happy Sunday! God has really put some things on my heart recently and I have been pushed to share it the only way I know how. So please bear with me as I try to be vulnerable with you all and open my heart in hopes that someone else out there will hear God's words through me and give themselves grace.

"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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.'" 2 Corinthians 12:9

In an Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest-centered world, it is important for people to realize something...NOBODY IS PERFECT! Everything you see on those outlets is someone else's highlight real.  What is going on behind the picture is not seen.  I have personally struggled with the feeling that I need to keep up with the bloggers and brand pages that I see consistently while scrolling through my feed, and create a highlight real that is picture perfect like in a magazine. But I'll be completely honest with you, that's not me.  Don't get me wrong, I love shopping, makeup, home decor, and all things pretty, but I have found that trying to keep everything together all of the time is just so exhausting.  I am literally exhausted trying to be the perfect wife, the perfect mom, the perfect friend, keep an immaculate house, lose weight, and run a perfect business, but I have to realize that even if I can do all of those things, I can't do them all well.  And that is ok!

I started reading the book Grace, Not Perfection by Emily Ley, and in it she talks about how important it is to take care of yourself and build yourself up so that you can take care of your family.  I cannot stress how important this is! But one thing I had a hard time understanding was that I was correlating "taking care of myself" to buying things, and I definitely can't afford to be going every other week to get my nails done, or buy myself a new outfit, or go for a spa day every once in a while...like come on, I'm a stay at home mom and we need groceries! But the mindset that I have had to change was that money doesn't buy happiness and it definitely doesn't buy taking care of yourself! This was a huge revelation because I always feel renewed after getting a pedicure, but 10 minutes later I'm back to feeling exhausted again. So I came up with a list of things that I find true happiness in:

• Spending time with my family
• Discovering new places
• Helping other moms and women  

So guess what...I am going to do those things!

I most definitely have a lot of growing to do, and to start I will be unfollowing many of the bloggers and celebrities that I follow on various social media outlets, not because it's their fault that I feel unworthy, but for myself and for my mental health it is the best decision. Secondly, I want to build my tribe. Those women around me that genuinely build me up and keep me accountable, not those who tear me down and make passive aggressive comments about how I should be living. But for now, I leave you with this...

"You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:1

I have a call to action for all of my friends: What makes you happy? Genuinely happy? Comment below and strive this week to do just that!