When I used to hear the word “balance,” I would think of those old fashioned scales ⚖️ that the bankers or an old miser might have used to count their gold and silver. I used to imagine that was the only way to interpret the world...balanced must mean equal distribution. And I let that definition invade and infect my life. I must give equal weight each day and each hour and each moment to my job as a wife, mother, teacher, housekeeper, friend, sister, daughter, human. I must not falter, lest I tip the ever-present scales. I must do it all with a graceful step and a smile. If it sounds impossible, that’s because it is.

Then, somewhere along the way, God woke me up. Somewhere along the way, I remembered that’s not how God wants us to live, constantly running a race and feeling like we’re not really any closer to completing it. We’re not meant to feel like we’re always falling short or not doing enough. I remembered, through a series of events and emotions, that balance doesn’t have to mean what I thought it did. That kind of balance is a myth. Balance as a woman looks different every day. Every hour. Every moment.

It looks like maybe you didn’t have time for a bedtime story tonight, but you all ate breakfast together this morning, and that’s okay. It looks like dirty dishes in the sink, but homework is done, and that’s okay. It looks like you missed soccer sign ups this year, but you taught your oldest how to tie his shoes, and that’s okay. It looks like the laundry isn’t even half done, but you finished a project at work and it made you proud, and that’s okay. Balance doesn’t mean getting every single thing right. You’re not Jesus. Balance means doing the best you can and relying on God when you start to doubt your enough-ness. Because He’s enough and I can’t always wrap my head around it but He thinks I am too. And you. Yes, you, looking at this screen and wondering if I’m talking to someone standing behind you. You. Are. Enough. and loved and worthy of grace. So heap some upon yourself, girlfriend. Let it wash over you like a wave in the sea. Let go of the impossible standards. Let go of the old-fashioned scales. Embrace where you are because you are there with a purpose. God doesn’t need us to be perfect, He just needs us to be present with Him and with our lives, and not strive and perform and balance ourselves to death.

So, repeat after me:

Grace, not perfection.

Very good.

Maybe you think the way I used to, and you’re all caught up in that mythical definition. Maybe tonight you want to set down your many scales. Maybe you are ready to break away from the lies that we are told, saying that we have to do all the things and do them all without a single misstep. Grab onto truth, set down the scales, and walk with a little more freedom in your step, whether you finish the laundry pile or not.