I struggle. There, I said it.
Trying to be perfect at everything I do is exhausting. Luckily, God can send anyone into your path to be a little reminder with something you need to hear. Today, that was a janitor for my good friend and fellow mommy, Katie. Here is her story:
Today, I was getting an afternoon coffee from my client’s coffee vending machine. I was thinking about what I did wrong putting my child to sleep last night and what I would do differently tonight. I had the most crisp, perfect dollar bill but the machine just kept spitting it back out. The janitor, seeing me struggle, came over and asked for my dollar bill. I handed it to him and he wadded it into the smallest ball. My mouth fell open in a “what do you think you are doing” kind of way. He inserted the crumpled dollar and the machine took it first try. He smiled an enormous smile and walked away.
How many of us find ourselves trying to fit into this perfect, crisp dollar bill of a mold? I know I do. It is close to impossible not to compare yourself to others around you. However, our idea of perfection might not be the same as what God has for us.
When she told me about what happened, I had the thought that “Perfection is sometimes a crumpled up dollar bill.” For me, this idea is hard to comprehend. I walk into church, work, or the grocery store and within minutes have to remind myself that these other women have the same struggles that I do. I have been in the midst of a battle to find some balance between being a wife, mommy, daughter, friend, coworker, boss, etc. This is something that I have been dealing with for a while and still don’t have the solution.
Sometimes I think we try so hard to be perfect that we forget who God has called us to be. We keep trying to be the perfect crisp dollar bill, when God really just wants us as we are. In Revelation 22, God says “Come.” He doesn’t say, “Come, but only if you have everything in your life together.” Or, “Come, but only if you marked off everything on your to-do list today.” Thankfully, He just says, “Come.” I can still come to Him in the midst of my struggle, when I feel like my small wadded up dollar bill is all I have to give.
I thank God for putting someone like Katie in my life. We have been able to walk down this road of motherhood together. We found out we were expecting the same week, and our sweet little girls were born just a few days apart. I am able to vent to her when I have a really bad day. But I am also able to celebrate with her during the great times. I feel like God puts people in your life to bring you back down to reality and keep you in tune with what He has called you to be.
If you are struggling today, think about the janitor. Remember that perfection might be a crumpled up dollar bill. For some of you, maybe you need to be the janitor in someone’s life today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Hunter is a wife, mother, daughter, CPA, and writer living in Northeast Georgia.
