Jesus is Enough

I have a measuring stick in my head each day that I use that allows me to add value to how good or bad my day was. I know that most of you probably do to, some sort of mental checklist, that holds our expectations for ourselves and our days. If I get a certain amount of things checked off, then I feel like I had a pretty good day as a mom. My list has things like: 

• Didn’t yell at my children today
• Got the girls dressed and outside 
• Made it to our play date or bible study fellowship on time
• Didn't have to yell "Hurry up, we are late" to my toddler who loves to take her time
• The kids watched less than 2 hours of tv 
• Had dinner started before my husband came home
• Cleaned something (yup my standards are just that low)

I try to accomplish as many of these things a day and if I didn’t I feel pretty frustrated that I didn’t parent well that day. My standards are hard enough without the present day social media. So because we live in the age of shared information and experiences via social media, if I happen to be having a good day and sign in, I often feel like a failure all over again because all of a sudden my list has a whole lot of new things I need to accomplish like: 

• Get doughnuts at a cute local coffee and doughnut shop with my kids
• Bake something from scratch with the kids at least a few times a week
• Do an educational craft with my kids every day
• Take my kids on a nature walk or build a fort 
• Teach my toddler to read
• Involve my young children in cooking dinner
• Go on vacation ASAP 
• Buy that new outfit for myself and those cute shoes for my toddlers 

Most of these things are good things, some of them necessary for all of us to work towards but some of them not really realistic, or even good for everyone. But what they all have in common is that if they become the measure of the value of my day then all of a sudden Jesus isn’t enough anymore. 

All of a sudden my list is more important than Jesus and the fear of missing out overshadows the grace of my savior. 

It is so easy to get frustrated with envy for what others have or desire to be a better parent. We are likely not where we want to be yet, and we will probably spend our whole lives wishing we were better parents. It is a good thing to want to be a better parent. It is a good thing to strive to learn and grow as a person and in your mothering. But if being enough becomes more important than the value you have in Jesus, then it becomes the thing separating you from him.

We will never be good enough, not by our own standards, not by the world’s standards and especially not by God’s standards. But God knew that from the beginning.

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

He knew when he created us he would need to rescue us from our sin, but he created us anyways. He did that because he loves us so deeply it didn't matter. He was willing to sacrifice everything for us and  He wants to be enough for us.  He wants to be enough for us every day, in every season. He is our life, not all of those beautiful things we put in a square on Instagram to measure our days with. Not the cleanliness of our house or the smile on our faces when we lovingly discipline and correct our children. We are the darkness without him. He isn’t talking about the rest of the wicked world here. He is talking about you and me. We are the darkness without him. But he promises to be the light of men. But he does not let us overcome him. He will overcome us. He welcomes us into the light. 

What measurement are you letting get in the way of Jesus being enough? 

What will change in your life and in your parenting if you allow him to be enough? 

I challenge you today, to allow Jesus to be enough. Nothing else. No other measure, no other checklist. Just him.

~Allison~