Chasing Perfection, Embracing Failure

This may come as a surprise to you all, but “I’m not Perfect.”  Gasp.

I know.  Quite the revelation.  But here’s the thing.  I’m ok with that.  We all make mistakes.  We slip up, don’t meet the mark and sometimes go so far down the wrong path we wonder if we’ll ever make it back.

And as a parent, that can be really darn disappointing.

Especially when we see the effects it has on our littles.  When our mistakes – bursts of unwarranted anger, tardiness to those important “milestone” events or too busyness to praise a hard-labored “masterpiece” – affect our children, make their little faces squinch up and their eyes brim with tears, it tears us apart.

We all hate to fail.

Which is ironic since it is such an integrated fact of our lives as human beings.  Especially as a mom.  And how could it not?  We start the whole thing off in pain, sleep-deprived without a manual or any training and yet on-the-job 24/7 from the moment the child enters this world.  The job expectations are astronomical – keep this helpless being alive and develop it into a fully-functioning adult over the next 18 years – and the pay is … well, the pay is nothing.  In fact, *you* pay to get to do the work! What kind of job is that?

The Greatest Job Ever

This week our pastor spoke about the evolution of the word “job.”  He informed us that the word didn’t exist prior to WWII.  Before then, you had a “vocation” which literally means “a calling” from God – if you break it down from the Latin root “vocare.”  

How cool is that?  Everyone had a CALLING from GOD to do something as Work. Work, He defined, as Good – as outlined in Genesis 1.  Americans didn’t just “do a job,” ungratefully and unwillingly, just to pay the bills.  They embraced their work as a vocation and dedicated the fruits of that labor to God.  Even those serving the lowest of positions knew that their work was necessary and good and that it glorified God.

How would each of us feel if we went about our work that way?  If we looked at every task we were called to do, even as a parent,  as a vocation – a calling from God – to serve others.  Would we stress out a lot less knowing that we are fallible servants rather than all-knowing parents?  I know I would.

For so many years I strived to find my identity in my career.  Only to find out that the only place I could truly discover who I am is in Christ.  Once I placed my faith  in Him, my vocation became all too clear.

My vocation – my God-given calling – is to serve and bless those around me.

Simple as that.  Whether it be as a parent or as an employee, my job – first and foremost – is to bring joy, love and assistance to the people I come into contact with day in and day out.

After all my failures, all the disappointment of the last few years, this – by far – has been the most important lesson I’ve learned.  And with it brings exceptional Peace.

What is Your Vocation?

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 You may also be interested in this post on “Things to Consider Before Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom“ or this post about “Creating To-Go Bags for Emergency Preparedness.”  Also remember to check out the book, “From Cube to Farm: Surviving and Thriving as a Stay-at-Home Mom.”

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