In my head, I know everyone has weaknesses. But oh-so-often, I only see peoples strengths and only see my weaknesses. I've already put it out there that I never make my bed. Now, here's another one for you. I never do the dishes unless the sink is full.
A couple weeks ago, at my mops group (a mom's group I go to), we made the above sign. I made a comment about how it is perfect for me because, well, I certainly let my dishes pile up. To my surprise, pretty much everyone around me talked about how they literally can't sleep if there are dishes in their sink. Just throwing it out there, I sleep perfectly fine with dishes in the sink, on the counter and on the table. Such talent of mine!
Before you start thinking that my house is always trashed, this isn't true. I do actually work my way through cleaning my house every week. And I have this odd thing about cleaning my kids rooms before they go to bed. But, odds are, if you drop in, you certainly will NEVER find my house looking perfect.
As I went home and set my little sign next to my sink full of dishes, I was feeling a little down about myself. Then I remembered, we all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. We all have 24 hours in a day and we all choose how we spend those days. So, to remind myself that I am not just a horrible slob, I thought I would jot down some of my strengths.
Building legos is my passion. I can (and many times do) spend an hour or more building legos with Connor every day. In fact, playing with the kids is really fun to me. I enjoy reading with them. I enjoy building things with them. I enjoy drinking the coffee they make for me and eating the ice cream cones they serve from their kitchen. If only it was all real. I meal plan and make dinner for us every week night. I do a great job picking up my camera and capturing memories of my kids childhood. I am thrifty and can find a deal on almost anything. And my best strength of all...I'm sarcastic. (You know it's a strength and not a weakness!)
The next time you are feeling down on yourself for not having the same strengths as others, I highly recommend taking the time to remember what YOU are good at.
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I love this! and I love you. what an awesome woman and momma you are.... I am so thankful that the Lord doesn't care a whit about if we do the dishes before we even finishing eating off of them or if we wait till the sink is full (or overflowing!)... you are doing the important stuff. Loving people. hugs to you and next time give me a call if you are feeling down on yourself. I'll tell you why you are awesome.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons I love you so much is because you bring everything back to Jesus! You pointed out a good thing, it isn't about me or even what others think about me, it is all about where I stand with the Lord!
Deletei love this too! Comparison really is the thief of all joy. When I start to compare my weaknesses to other people's strengths (For example: I am terrible at sitting down and playing with my kids for long periods of time. I get so bored!) it's easy to get down on myself quickly. And then the enemy gets in my head and starts to build the lie that I'm a "bad mom or bad wife or friend or so forth." BUT if I can nip comparison in the bud I often remember that while I am not perfect I do have great strengths. And I'm reminded that none of us is perfect! And, not to keep going on-and-on but when it comes to my weaknesses as a mom I love that the Lord continually reminds me that He gave my kids specifically to ME - knowing my weaknesses and my strengths. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI think I often need to remind myself that if something works for my family, that is what matters. Especially in the world of pinterest and blogs, it is easy to "see" how well others are making life work for themselves and forget that that works for them, not me.
DeleteI admire you and your strengths. I don't think dishes or making the bed are important things, but I love how much you enjoy playing with your children and how often you do it. You are a great momma and I have learned a lot from you about what things are important and which things are not.
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