You're Doing Better Than You Think You Are

Sister Beck was one of the speakers at our Regional Conference last week for church, and she said two things that have really stuck with me: "You're doing better than you think you are," and "You can be doing better than you're doing." I've been thinking a lot lately about both of those statements.

I think as women we often don't give ourselves enough credit for all that we're doing, and what we're doing well. I've had several conversations with different women recently about feeling overwhelmed, or making excuses or jokes about being a "bad mom" because their houses aren't clean, projects aren't done, meals aren't always homemade or healthy, there are things they haven't done with their children, etc. I know that I often fall into that trap myself, focusing on what I wish I was doing differently or comparing myself against a standard of where I think I "ought to" be. How often do I stop and acknowledge all the things I'm doing well or improvements I've made?

I'm not sure why that is such a taboo thing in our culture, but I want to recognize areas where I have improved and am doing well. I am much more patient than I used to be, especially with my children and husband. I'm not as uptight about things needing to be an exact way, although I'm sure Kendall would say I still have room for improvement in that department. :) I feel like I have adapted pretty well to having three children and juggling the new responsibilities he brings, as well as having Adriana in kindergarten and Miriam in preschool.

I have come a long way with my homemaking skills. When we were first married I knew next to nothing about cooking, and even less about creating and following a budget and keeping on top of household chores like laundry (Kendall did almost all the laundry the first few years of our marriage), cleaning, and grocery shopping. I have overcome my fear of driving. I have learned to garden and do things like canning, making jam, etc. I have developed budgeting skills, especially when it comes to groceries. I've learned how to create and use a food storage for our family. I've developed new talents, like learning how to play the handbells. Despite being home full-time now, I have kept my credentials and continuing education current in my professional field of speech pathology.

I have overcome some big personal and family trials. I'm not comparing myself to anyone else, or saying that my challenges are greater or less than another person's. That's the thing. We each have trials. The more I get to know people, the more I see that every person has challenges, big challenges. I do know that while I certainly wouldn't have chosen some of the trials that I and my family have gone through in the past few years, I have grown because of them. I don't mean that in a casual or trite way. I truly think I am a better person than I was ten years ago. I know that my testimony is stronger.

That actually leads me to the second statement, about how we can each be doing better than we're doing. I think that is such a positive, uplifting idea. There are so many areas where I can be doing a lot better than I am, but rather than choose to be discouraged or overwhelmed by that though, I welcome the challenge. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to continue to grow and stretch and improve. One of the biggest lessons I have learned in my life is that life seems so much more manageable when I ask the Lord for His guidance and assistance. If I start to feel guilty or overwhelmed with things happening in my life, it usually means that I'm not as in tune with His will and Spirit as I could be. The difficulties I am struggling with will still be there, I'm just better able to handle them.

I love this time of year. With school starting, fall has always seemed like a much better time than January to create personal goals and recommit to doing some of those things I know I should be doing. Thanks for getting through all of my ramblings. Take a few minutes and give yourself some credit--what things are you doing well? And what is one area where you could improve?