You Aren't the Only One

I'm not sure that there are many things more encouraging than talking to other moms that are honest about what life is really like.  These "real" women have helped me to see that "it's not just me," and there is something so nice about knowing that I'm not alone in my struggles as a wife, mother, and homemaker.

Just today, I was at my daughter's school visiting with some of the other moms, and we got to talking about the nitty gritty of our job as mothers and housekeepers.  Mountains of laundry, days worth of dishes, and endless mahem are the norm, but for some reason we dupe ourselves into believing that we are the only ones that deal with endless chaos and even downright filth (just admit it). 

It was so neat to see how the conversation progressed.  It's amazing how honest admission to failures and not having it all together can all of a sudden bring women together in a unique way.  After several people shared stories, and we had some really good laughs, one of the ladies said, "I thought I was the only one!"  How many times have I thought that...

So, I guess what I want to say in all this is this: 

You aren't the only one. 

 

You aren't the only one that forgets the clothes in the washer.  You aren't the only one that fixes peanut butter and jelly for dinner.  You aren't the only one that has a basket full of socks that never get sorted.  You aren't the only one that feels like if you have to go to the store with your kids one more time, you might have a meltdown. You aren't the only one whose kids ask, "who's coming over?" when you clean your house.  You aren't the only one who loses her temper.  You aren't the only one who, at times, doesn't know if she can make it through another day...

 

Jesus said, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  He knows.  He knows what you face every day.  He knows that you don't measure up, but he doesn't condemn, he says, "Come," and he offers rest, because he knows we need it.  We need rest in our souls-- rest that says, "Even though you don't have it all together, all is well.  You are loved."