Where do I start?
Write blog Friday.
Write blog Saturday.
Write blog Sunday.
Write blog Monday.
Write blog Tuesday!
You may have noticed the tagline on my blog reads: Redefining Beauty & Purpose.
There is a word I associated with the idea of beauty and purpose for years. That word was PERFECT.
It is understandable. Look around you. The perfect magazine covers. The perfect families on Facebook. The perfect bloggers. The perfect speakers. The perfect homemaker. The perfect __________.
There is an illusion of expectation that we are to be perfect in how we look and what we do.
But for me, that seems impossible. Just this week, I stuck my foot in my mouth, I let people down, I forgot all the paperwork we needed for our passport appointment, my Christmas decorations are still up, I went to the gym with out make-up, I dropped my son off late to school…
I could keep going, but I won’t bore you with the details.
What happens when you are not perfect?
Shame.
The feeling you are not good enough.
This year, I would like to invite you into a different kind of perfect.
Jesus said: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
Jesus does not invite us into a relationship of judicial restraints or laws. Jesus is invited us to be wholehearted people who seek to be like him.
When we live wholehearted…
We believe in the necessity of community with God (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) and others.
We do not compare, quit, or judge.
We have compassion for others and for ourselves.
We have the courage to admit and learn from our failures.
We see others through God’s perspective instead of our own.
We cultivate a life of gratitude and joy, leaving behind feeling of fear or lack.
We find our needs are met by God’s grace and approval, not that of others.
We extend forgiveness because we have been forgiven.
Our future is found through trust and listening as God directs our steps.
We cultivate a life of prayer that cancels out any thread of anxiety.
We cherish life and the people in it, no matter our differences.
Life becomes simple because we stop performing and focus on loving.
Last but not least, Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
Wholehearted living is most easily found in community.
If you are looking for a community to connect with or need more resources on connecting with God, please email me!
If you are a woman who knows she has a purpose but doesn’t know where to start, I invite you to join an equipHER group (online or in-person). You are welcome here! www.northwestwomen.com/equip
Below are some pictures from my “different kind of perfect” at the Craig House this week.
With much joy & love,
Angela
Transformation happens through vulnerability in community…Skamania Lodge 2017
Plant kindness & gather love. ~Proverb
Date night with my oldest son, Austin (Back Country Snowboarding Class at REI in Seattle. I highly recommend it!)
I always wanted to be a Super Hero…
The Craig Farm with Bret, minus Sport our golden retriever!
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
I have officially been making lunches for 12 years! I am grateful for the daily reminder of the gift of children!
equipHER Women – On the journey together of wholehearted living!
Anita Ojeda
January 11, 2017Yes! I want to live wholeheartedly, too :). All too often I get caught in the comparison game and forget that I should only compare myself to Jesus. I can’t live wholeheartedly if I’m wasting my energy comparing myself to others.
Angela L Craig
January 11, 2017Thank you for sharing Anita! You are not alone!