Mama, God Doesn’t Expect Perfection

Mama, let me let you in on a little secret: God doesn’t expect you to be perfect. 

I know, it’s hard not to be hard on yourself. I know the mom guilt is real. I know in the world we live in, it’s hard not to let comparison take over. I know we strive for perfection because we’re so darn afraid we’re going to screw up our kids or something. 

But you’re never going to be perfect. 

Not gonna happen, my friend. 

Even Moses struggled with not thinking he was enough. When God called him to be the one who would rescue the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses’ reply was not, “All right, I got this!” No, he doubted himself. He gave a whole list of reasons from “why would Pharoah ever listen to me” to “I’m not a good speaker.” 

And you know what God said to Moses when he said he wasn’t an eloquent speaker? God replied, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” (Exodus 4:11-12). 

And Moses STILL doubted. Moses replies, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” (verse 13). 

But Moses did it. He was obedient and he made it happen with the help of God. Sure, it may not have been done perfectly, but that’s not what God asked him to do. God helped Moses every step of the way because that’s what He called him to do.

God knows you’re not perfect or the perfect mother. If He thought you were, He would never have needed to send you a perfect Savior. 

Jesus is perfect—not you. 

So, while you’re striving for perfection and while you’re fretting over the what-if’s and what-you-should’ve-done questions of life—you’re not going to find perfection. 

While you try to keep your house perfect and try to make it look “Fixer Upper” worthy, you won’t find perfection. 

While you’re beating yourself up over the number of times you snapped at your kids that day, you’re being too hard on yourself. You’re not perfect. 

God’s not expecting perfection. What He DOES expect is that you run to the One who is perfect. He wants you to rely on Him every day so He can help you and guide you. And He expects you to teach your children about the grace that you find from Him.

You’re not meant to be perfect, Mama. You’re meant to rely on your perfect Savior. 

And as long as you do that, you’re doing everything else perfectly.