Rejoice and be glad in it

"It is not perfection that God expects from mothers. There is no perfect personality that does the job best. It is not our background or training or the way we keep house that qualifies us to be godly mothers. God designed mothers to partner with Him in His eternal work, and He has promised to reward our faith and faithfulness... it is for the children's sake that we give our lives. We are protecting future generations that they might be strong for the battle of life. We are the real, in-the-flesh, tangible picture of God's loving hands, strong arms of protection, and encouraging words of hope to our children" -Sally Clarkson, Mission of Motherhood

Many times I have placed expectations on myself for perfection in our homeschool, in housekeeping, cooking, parenting etc and often times at the end of the day I have felt like a failure- battered, weary, exhausted, and overwhelmed. About 2 months ago as I was praying I felt very strongly that God does not want me to feel this way. I had my eyes set on goals that God didn't set for me. I was trying to do too many things in my own power- striving to meet worldly expectations. I decided I needed to know what God expects of me, what does He want for my life? This is what I found:
Hebrews 11:6 says "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him". God wants me to be faithful, to seek Him.

Psalm 105: 1-4 says " Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually." God wants me to be thankful and glad- to worship Him, to declare His wonders.

In Romans 12:9-18 it says "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality, bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." God wants me to serve, rejoice, pray, persevere, be humble and peaceful.

Deuteronomy 6:5 says "You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." God wants me to LOVE Him and my neighbors; to diligently teach the commandments to my children.

There are endless scriptures on hope, peace, love, faith, endurance, joy, thankfulness.
It is written no where in scripture that God wants us to feel defeated, worried, angry, bitter, frustrated, inadequate etc. God doesn't want that for His children. Those thoughts and feelings are lies from the enemy who comes to kill, steal and destroy. That is why I've made up my mind to leave those feelings behind. I am working diligently at replacing the lies with truth- keeping my eyes set on the promises of scripture and focusing on living the beautiful, joyful life that God intended me to live. Rejoice in Him, in your children, in your husband, in your home, in motherhood, in your life... rejoice and be glad in all these good things.