You're Not a Failure

Do you ever feel like a failure?
Maybe there's things in your past that you wish you could go back and do differently.
Maybe you didn't finish your degree.
Maybe you're not where you want to be financially.
Maybe you didn't get to all your to-do list (again) today.
Maybe you stay home with your babies and feel guilty for not contributing financially.
Or, on the flip-side, maybe you are a working mommy and feel like a failure for not spending enough time with your kids.
Then again maybe you're not a mom and you wish you were, you thought by now you would be and you can't understand why your time hasn't come yet.
All these feelings must mean you're a failure on your right?
NO!


Oh ladies, how wrong we are for being so hard on ourselves!
Let me tell you, no amount of worrying or wishing will allow you to turn back time and re-do things differently. We learn from our choices, the good ones and the bad. I'll tell you, the past week or so I've been feeling like a failure. I can hear some of you asking "how?!" "why?!"  I KNOW!
Sometimes I lose sight of all the blessings I do have and begin to focus on the things I don't. I really don't know why I do this, I hate that I do! Because I'm a Christian, I know this is the enemy putting these very negative thoughts in my mind so that I lose sight of my Jesus. The God of the universe cares about me, he cares so much (about all of us) he sent his son to die for my sins so that I may be with him forever.
He cares so much for me he has promised to supply every need (Philippians 4:19 " My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus") **note everything I NEED NOT everything I WANT!**
He sent me a wonderful husband who loves me and provides for our family. He has blessed me with 2 (almost 3) beautiful healthy daughters. I have a roof over my head, we have food to eat, clean water, cars to drive, I mean seriously the list of blessings is pretty much never ending.
I sometimes forget that God has a plan for my life and he does know better than I do. There is a reason for me being where I am right now. All he asks is that I trust him! I don't need to be so worried, in fact, Jesus tells me not to worry (Matthew 6:25a "Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink...26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"). I know this is true, my husband and I have seen first hand how something works out that before we didn't think possibly could. I've also seen how my worrying or wishing I could change something does not help a single thing.

Life is good. Generally speaking I have a great life, I have no room to complain about what I don't have. Wishing I had done things differently because MAYBE that would change things doesn't do me any good. In fact, I sometimes think too much about what I haven't done and the thoughts keep me from fully enjoying, or from being fully present with some of my greatest blessings. It's just crazy and unnecessary. I have to remind myself quite regularly that I can give my worries to Jesus (1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you"). He knows what I need before I even ask him (Matthew 6:8b "for your Father knows what you need before you ask him"). How wonderful it is to know the truth, I know in my heart that God has a plan for my life and yet I still stubbornly forget time and time again. I wish when I get these thoughts of being a failure, I could say that I always remember these truths, unfortunately I don't always remember on my own. It takes talking it out sometimes, in this case I was feeling so down for not finishing school yet that I spoke with my sister who reminded me that God has a plan. There is a reason why my life played out the way it did and I don't need to understand that plan fully. Instead I need to be thankful for the many, many blessing I do have and just keep trying. Fully trusting that through Jesus I will finish school, he will give me the strength I need to get through...in his timing. That phrase is always the kicker, "in his timing" all things are in his time not mine. His timing is perfect mine is not.

Just a reminder to all you reading this, you are not a failure.
Have you made mistakes? sure! but learn from them, pick yourself up and try again or do something different. Don't ever give up, but also don't beat yourself up for the things you cannot change.
Remember to enjoy all your blessings. Chances are you've been blessed with a whole lot, and if you're like me you may forget from time to time just how blessed you are.