A Perfectly Imperfect Life

Confidence? There was a time  when confidence was evident in every area of my life. I truly believed I was beautiful just the way God made me and I truly believed He had a special plan  designed just for me . Living life back then was so much easier; so much simpler. Of course there were obstacles along the way,  hard  choices that needed to be made, and sometimes life was confusing… but my confidence in God and His plan outweighed anything else. I honestly though t my confidence would only grow the older I became; I thought I  would always love the way God made me  (I mean there is only one  me… that is pretty incredible).   I never imagined I would wake up one morning and  hate  what I saw in the mirror. Not me… not the girl who  personally  knows  the One who made her. It is kind of crazy for me to even think I lost sight of were true confidence resides.  A little shameful if I’m honest, but  the choice to grow and overcome weaknesses only comes when we are willing to adm

Mom !...  Mommy !...  Momma !...  Ma! These words are my identity, right? I hear these words more than any other words in my children’s vocabulary  (probably more than any word in the dictionary if I’m honest) . Don’t get me wrong there is so much beauty wrapped up in three tiny letters, but if I am not careful I can easily  get lost in the  vastness of all  that  m otherhood  entails . From the moment I open my eyes I hear “Mom,  hungy ”  from my 1 year old and  “Mom, is it time for breakfast yet? Mom what are we doing today? Mom, do I have school today? Mom, do we have church today? Mom, are you working today?  Mom, can I watch a movie while you work?  Mom, after breakfast when will it be  snack time ?”  – Yes ,  my  4 year old  son asks three to five questions to  energize my  barely awake brain every morning  –  Ultimately , this means from the time I open my eyes to the moment I close them, my entire day is solely focused on the needs/wants of others. Specifically t

One of the biggest reasons I love sports is because each sport can teach you so much about life and so much about you as an individual. Over the years I have really started to love running. I am by no stretch of the imagination a marathon runner and probably never will be but this sport teaches me so much on a daily basis. I work out three to four times a week and every time I am at the gym I run between 4 to 6 miles (sometimes a little more but I try my very best not to go under 4). There are some nights where I feel I could run forever and my mind and body are in complete unison. Those nights are pretty joyous for lack of a better word. Those nights inspire me and motivate me. Those nights shout loud and clear that my determination and hard work is paying off. However, there are some nights that really are just complete torture. My mind and body fight the entire time. Most of the time the fighting starts even before I get to the gym. I let different things discourage me. I let my