scraped knees

How does a day start off well and end in such defeat? 

I went on the streets yesterday, and it was awesome!  It was victorious and fun. I went to pick up my kids from school, tired, but full hearted.  

We went to a meet some friends for an afternoon of fun. Thought it would have been a nice relaxing time for the kids and a welcome surprise.  Right?  WRONG!!

With out going into gory detail, my 3 daughters and myself arrived at home with ruffled feathers and teary eyes.  It wasn’t pretty. 

Needless to say I no longer felt victorious and full hearted.  I was feeling like a complete hypocrite.  

A friend of mine told me that a true hypocrite doesn’t recognize that they are being a hypocrite.  That made me feel better a little bit.  

But I did take comfort in this fact.....

God isn’t using my life because I have it all together, in fact the exact opposite!  He is using my life because he does his best work in a flawed people.  

I didn’t handle my children’s behavior very well yesterday....I win no mother of the year awards for handling my daughters temper tantrum by having one of my own.  But having a bad afternoon doesn’t disqualify me from the race.  It doesn’t mean that I have to hang up my running shoes and sit the rest out waiting for the trumpet call.    

It means that I get up from my stumble, brush off my knees...put a band-aide on the scrapes and get back at it.  

No matter what the previous days journey looked like....good, bad or indifferent....if our hearts are with Jesus and wanting to walk with Him in honesty and transparency....we wake up in victory!  Lets  not minimize the power of the cross by making it about ourselves.  Lets take our lumps when they come, put them down at the feet of Jesus and walk with our heads held high!