Peace In My Own Footsteps

I wish I could do what she does.  All of her children are well-behaved most of the time.  They get along so well and they never seem to have a temper.  I know it's because of the person she is.  I wish I could be like her as a mom.  She is so gentle and kind and almost always soft-spoken towards her children.  She loves her children and sees the best in them so effortlessly.  I wish I could figure out how to be like her.

Okay, thoughts like these and many others often cross my mind.  I have a real problem!  I find myself comparing myself with other women--other moms--and spending time wondering how I can be more as they are.  It is really unfair!  It is unfair to me, my children, these other women, and my Creator.  I am far from perfect as a mom, but I am the kind of mom that God made me to be, regardless of how I compare to others.  How can I instill in my children the conviction that they are created in the image of God, and that He made them unique and complete, if I myself struggle to believe this?  I must learn to celebrate these other women--how alike or different they are from me--and I must learn to celebrate who I am!  I need to learn to have peace in my own footsteps! 

There is a mom who is a super socialite.  She's the hostess with the most-est!  She hosts Valentine's parties at her house with children running everywhere.  She bakes cookies and doesn't fret about how clean and perfect the house is when it's time to party.  She organizes get-togethers and outings with other moms on a regular basis.  This mom is not me...help me to have peace in my own footsteps!

There is a mom who continually plans fun activities for her children.  She bikes with them, hikes with them,  roller blades with them, and searches for bugs with them.  This mom is not me....help me to have peace in my own footsteps!  There is a mom who is always doing craft projects with her children.  She finger-paints with them, glues with them, and gets out the playdoh every day.  This mom is not me...help me to have peace in my own footsteps!  I know a mom who hosts play dates every other day.  She makes sure her children always have social activities to look forward to and she invites friends over whenever her children ask.  She signs her children up for every sport and class they show any interest in.  This mom is not me...help me to have peace in my own footsteps!

I know a mom who is unafraid to ask for help.  She frequently sees the need for her own time and she asks for it without hesitation.  This mom is not me!  I know a mom who reads to her children constantly.  She only feeds them organic food.  She plans weekly library trips and rarely turns on a cartoon.  This mom is not me!  I know a mom who schedules professional pictures every three months for each of her children, without fail.  She is on top of schedules and never misses an appointment.  This mom is not me!  I know a kind-hearted mom who always includes other moms.  She is absolutely never "clique-ish" and she is always willing to make a new friend.  I am not this mom.  I can celebrate her inclusive spirit; I can learn from her ways, but I am not her.  I can thank God for the goodness in each of these other moms and I can encourage their gifts--their ways--but I am not them.  Help me to have peace in my own footsteps!

How unfair to only see the good in others and not recognize my own strengths.  How unfair to convince myself that these other moms have figured out the magical, mysterious formula to being great moms just because they have strengths where I struggle.  Maybe, just maybe, they struggle where I am strong.  Maybe they can learn something from me just as I can learn something from them.  Maybe it really does take a village to raise a child and that's because we are stronger when we learn from other people.  Maybe, as moms, we need to celebrate the strengths in other moms and offer support in the areas that need strengthened.  Maybe I can be an even better mom today if I learn to have peace in my own footsteps!

There is a mom I know who prays continually for her family and for her friends.  She is not particularly crafty, but she has kept up fairly well with her children's baby books.  She sings, dances, and laughs with her children.  She may not bake homemade cakes for every birthday or bring homemade cookies to preschool, but she sits down to breakfast with her children and talks to them about the Lord and loving other people.  Her house may not be perfectly clean, but her kitchen is rarely a wipe-out and there is almost always fresh fruit for her family.  I know a mom who reads to her children, prays with them, and gives them hugs every day.  This mom is me!  I may not be crazy about playdoh or play dates, but I am crazy about my children!  There may be smudges on our storm door, but there will always be love and laughter in our home.  I am certainly not perfect, but I am doing the best I can...today.  I am learning, growing, and changing every day.  Most importantly, I am learning to remind myself that I am the mom God intended for these four precious jewels and I am learning to have peace in my own footsteps!