A Mom's Post About Why She's Not Going To Worry About A Messy House

Stop Focusing On The Messy House

Don't miss the forest for the trees. What's that mean? It means stop focusing so much on that one tree or you might just miss the fact that there's an entire forest, for goodness sakes! In today's world where we're constantly bombarded with unrealistic expectations of perfection, it's easy to start losing sight of "the forest." In a wonderful post on the blog, This Is My Story, one mom stood in the middle of her messy kitchen and realized she was doing just that. [rsnippet id="2" name="ArticleAd-300x250-3"] You don't have to be a mom to relate to the powerful message. Because we all get caught up at one time or another in a quest for worldly fulfillment. And it can quickly get in the way of what God has planned for us. Read on and let this mom's messy house inspire you!

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  Credit: This Is My Story Blog This morning as I was texting a friend to finalize plans for a coffee and play date, I found myself typing these words "Oh, and don't mind my house. It's a disaster." Before I pressed send I thought. No. I'm not sending that. Of course I wanted to. I wanted to justify why my kitchen is a disaster. Why there is ketchup on my white leather couch. Why my kid is wearing a 18-24month old shirt, and he's almost 4. Why I will likely still have the remnants of yesterday's makeup on. Why I likely won't brush my teeth before she gets here. Why my floors are caked with toddler snacks. Why it smells like an old gym shoe up in here. Why I only have milk for her coffee, and not cream, because we only drink milk in our coffee.... The list goes on and on. RELATED: A husband comes home to find the house a mess When I look around my home. When I look at myself and my child. When I examine all of the things in my life that I deem to be not "right" at every moment of every day, I do myself and others a disservice. Credit: ThinkStock I rob myself of authentic friendships. I put undue stress on myself. I put unrealistic expectations on my child. I wait for a time that will never come, when I have it all together, so that then I can _________. Fill in the blank with whatever you are telling yourself you can't have or do, because something is holding you back. People aren't asking or requiring perfection from you as a friend. They are looking for authentic, and real women that can open the doors to their home, and their arms to friendship, proclaiming: "my house is what it is, and I am who I am, and we are who we are, but come on in, because we desire to know YOU more." What a breath of fresh air it would be, if you walked into a place, that was just as crazy as yours, and were able to let out a sigh of relief, because, finally you can say: "Ahhhh. You too?" C.S Lewis says that's where true friendship begins. Keep going, mamas. You are amazing.

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Believe it or not, Jesus actually had a similar message for us when He went to visit two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha immediately became fixated on the preparations, busying herself with cleaning the house and fixing a big meal. Mary, on the other hand, chose to focus on the only thing that was important -- Jesus. While Martha bustled about, stressing, Mary sat at Jesus' feet, listening to His teachings. But when Martha complained to Jesus about being left to do all of the work alone, His response carried a similar message to the one in the story above.

"Jesus answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42

Martha was so focused on the "tree" that she was missing the "forest" entirely! I pray this story inspires you to double check what's taking priority in your life to make sure you're not missing out on the things that really matter by worrying about the things that don't!

See what one man had to say about this stay-at-home mom!

Credit: This Is My Story