Connection, not Perfection

I saw these words somewhere on the Internet recently and haven't been able to stop thinking about them:

"Connection, not perfection."

This time of year comes with so much pressure - getting the right gifts, which families to spend time with and how much time is appropriate, teacher gifts, on and on.  Pinterest can be damaging to how I view my life.  My life is far from perfect, my kids are far from perfect.  I can't keep my house clean to my liking, my car is gross, I barely keep up with laundry and dishes.  But there are four little people in my house who could care less about all of those things.  They only want to snuggle and have a little food to keep their bellies full.  But there is some preconceived notion that I need to make every single moment with my kids be magical and memorable.  Especially this time of year.  And honestly, most of the time our moments are just ordinary.  Normal days with errands to run, tears to wipe and disagreements to help solve.  They are not perfect.  But 'connecting'.  That is something more tangible.  Connecting: making meaningful conversation while driving in our dirty car; taking an extra minute to snuggle after reading a book; showing patience when I'd rather banish everyone to their room.

Connection, not perfection.  Christ did not call us to be perfect.  That is the very reason He came.  Because we're not perfect.  But He is.

So, this season my Christmas tree is not perfect, my christmas cookies may not get made.  But I will love my kids and connect with them while they are still young.  Because today it was extra hard to drop them off at school.  Harder than I thought it would be after last Friday's tragedy.

My Christmas wish for you and your family is that you let go of perfect and concentrate on connecting.