This year has been absolutely crazy. I feel like collectively we have been saying that since 2020. Seriously though, 2022 seems to have had it all so far.

From moving house at the beginning of the year, with nowhere to go, and then ending up with my parents, to our daughter's wedding to the whole family finally catching COVID, to my husband changing jobs after nine years, it seems to have been one thing after another with a cherry on top.

She'll Be Right..Right?

I went back to Uni after a semester break, thinking it would all be smooth sailing. Working full time, as well as an added two hours of travel time to my day, she'll be right...right?

I started the semester with COVID, followed by a sinus infection, followed by bronchitis. For about a minute I still thought I could handle it all fine, catching up would be easy. I like to present an image of having it all together that suits my perfectionist tendencies.

The reality is, that I got two extensions for my first assignment. I'm three weeks behind in content, the extra travel as well as study, plus full-time work is a hard slog. My husband is doing pretty much all the cooking at the moment. Even without being sick, it's impossible to do it all.

Sometimes in the world of Instagram and also Christianity, we present an image of being able to do everything. Ultimately it's not helpful, to ourselves or anyone else.

I can't do all the things, but by the grace of God, I can do the things He's called me to even when it's hard. And sometimes that means saying no things. Sometimes that means letting go of things for a minute, like housework. Sometimes that means dropping things to the bottom of the priority list so that things like daily time with God are at the top of it.

It's impossible to perfectly balance everything and I don't think we are supposed to, particularly not if we choose to follow the example Jesus lays out in Matthew 28 of coming to him for our rest and giving him our heavy burdens. It's hard to do that through a facade of keeping it all together and perfectionism.

Learning to Embrace the Messy

If you are following people on your socials that present an image of perfection that leaves you feeling less than, perhaps unfollow. I love the phrase perfectly imperfect. Life is meant to be a little messy, I'm over here learning to embrace it.