More precious than rubies...

Lately, I feel like I have been hit in the face with how stinking important (and hard!) my roles of a wife and mother are.  Often I become (or allow myself to become) overwhelmed with having to be the perfect wife and mother.  It's as if I can't get it right, right NOW I will have failed in my job, and failed my husband and son.  If I can't get my son to eat his vegetables every day and to stop laying down in the middle of Wal-Mart just because he can, he might end up on the street selling PCP.  If I don't get every load of laundry done, folded, and put away by naptime my husband might be driven into the arms of another woman who can do that all while smiling and who (gasp!) showered before 4pm.  

I look at other women and I tend to think that they have it all figured out.  I seem to get a tunnel-vision perception and only see my child's tantrums, or my exasperated sighs.  I only see that I can't coupon with the best of them or that I can't keep my house spotless every day of the week.  I only see my drained energy and my ungrateful attitude.  And then I look at Scripture and realize that I maybe I am not the only one who struggles.  

Although the Proverbs 31 passage on the "perfect" wife is used ALL the time and I don't want to overharp on it, I do feel like is by far one of the most encouraging and challenging passages in Scripture to me as a woman.  For Heaven's sake, it stars off with "Who can find an excellent wife?"  It's not like it says, "okay there are lots of girls out there who love Jesus with every breath they have and basically do everything right.  Go pick one of them and it will be fine."  No, right out of the gate, this passage talks about how this perfect woman isn't everywhere!  Who can find her?  She is more valuable than all the diamonds in the world!  

And then it goes on to, what I believe, is the heart of this passage.  "Her husband can trust her and she will greatly enrich his life."  If every day my goal is to live up to the standards that I believe the world has set up for me, I will fail every. single. time.  However, if my goal is just to honor my Lord first and my family second by my life--well that seems doable!  

Then there's those pesky magazine covers that make me feel like I weigh 600lbs.  "Charm is deceptive and beauty will not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised."  Now if only I can remember that when I am standing next to another mom who looks like fresh off the runway!