January 7, 2019
My girl Tay knows me all to well. She gifted me with a book this Christmas entitled, “Present over Perfect.” Probably the ideal gift for a recovering “perfectionist.” My whole life I fell victim to the belief that my ability to appear perfect was the only way to gain entrance into the rooms I wanted to be invited. A world reigned by earning and hard work and achievement seemed much more natural to me than a world governed by unconditional love and a Savior’s grace I didn’t deserve. Praise be to God- I decided to open my eyes and realized that saying no to appearing perfect meant saying YES to what truly mattered- life-sustaining connection, fulfilling relationships; undeniable faith and everlasting love. I share this with you now as we start the new year because with January 1 comes the overwhelming sense of starting over and being better and doing better. For a perfectionist like me- it’s easy to want to bring out the lists and the goals that can overwhelm and consume. Lose 100lbs ✅ be the perfect wife ✅ raise the perfect child who loves vegetables and is always gracious and well mannered ✅. Do you feel me? Oh sweet friends- be gentle. Maybe you aren’t like me and you have never struggled with others opinions of you. But if you have- my message is simple and my heart needs to hear it as much as yours. God doesn’t demand my perfection- He longs for my heart. He doesn’t need me to prove my worth- He craves our time together. Since I’ve started to let go of perfect, my life is decidedly less impressive. There is less to see, less shiny new things, and less supposedly perfect pictures. But there is also MORE. More joy, more laughter, more peace, more connection and more Jesus. This. This has made all the difference. Happy New Year, ladies- May it be filled with all the right kind of more.
xoxoxo,
The Girls of Charley’s 💗
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