I'm every woman...

I wish I could tell you that the last six months, where I have had the opportunity to stay at home with my beautiful children, have been life changing and fulfilling. And honestly, if I was half the mother that I should be, I would be telling you how rewarding each and every moment has been. I have this picture of the perfect mom in my head. She is the combination of a 3-5 different women I know. The football mom, who is engaged in her kids' daily activities, loves her husband more than life itself, loves Jesus, and embraces her role as a P31. The military wife, who runs her home while her man is deployed, home schools her four beautiful blessings, has this amazing awareness of the physical and spiritual health of not just her but her family as well. The pastor's wife, who home schools her blessings based on Biblical aspects, runs an inspiring blog and loves her Jesus. The mother who is a cancer survivor, works  full time job, conquers her fears daily and is a runner. Throw in my mom, my sisters, and there you have it.....my ideal woman. The woman who I strive to be like. Isn't she beautiful, folks??? 

And while this imaginary woman seems like a great plan, I have completely missed the mark. Each of these girls wake up every morning and put their pants on one leg at a time. They have goals just like me. So the difference?? While I'm striving to model my life like theirs, they are striving to model their life like HIM. 

So last week, I wrote down their names and exactly what I admired of them. As the list grew, I realized how ridiculous it all was. The truth is, I am made in the image of Christ, just like them. I have been given opportunities to serve Him, just like them. It is my job to follow through, to love Jesus and love people. And I do....I do love Jesus and I adore people. I love my husband and my beautiful G and P. and I love my family and my friends. And while I'm in a different stage of life than some other women, I am embracing this journey He's given me. It's a short journey so I don't have time for menial comparisons.

Even though I feel as though I wasted six months, today....today my son told me I was pretty. Today I got to lounge around with my kids while I'm still healing. Today, I got to take my kids to a birthday party so they could spend time with friends that we might not get to see very often in the near future. Today, I showed my babies how fireflies shine at night. Today, I got kisses from both my children and my man. And I have seen God's glory through it all. He spent all day with me today. All day people... Today, I was shown that He loves me...and there's more to come.