It was a beautiful day at the lake. The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was clear of clouds. The water glistened like diamonds in the distance and gently lapped up against the shore, surrounding my ankles. My feet were buried in the cool, wet sand while I stood watching my baby girl play in the water with new friends and another mother.
It was a mother-daughter weekend for us: her first of a couple years of “Mom and Me Camp.” We had spent the day before learning more about Christ’s love for us, making crafts, playing games, enjoying the wilderness, roasting marshmallows over a campfire, catching fireflies, making friends, and overall loving some one-on-one time, just Mommy and Babygirl.
Another mother had taken the liberty of assisting my little girl in swimming out to deeper water where all of the other kids were playing. We each took turns playing mom to the other children, as that’s what community is where we’re from. (It takes a village, you know.)
I smiled and turned back to the other mothers to join a conversation. I can’t even remember what the conversation was about anymore.
But in an instant, I heard a shout, and as I looked back at my little girl, I discovered the other mother had turned her back for a moment to help another child, and my baby was floundering.
Where she had stood a moment before, her head was above water. One step back was too much.
Where she had stood a moment before, her head was above water. @mtmblogger #imperfectmom Share on XMy heart grew tight in my chest, and I couldn’t seem move through the water fast enough to get to my little girl. No, no, no, no no! I kept saying to myself as I pushed as hard as I could through the water’s resistance. I don’t remember if I said anything to her as I rushed to save her. I couldn’t tell you what else went through my head. My only thought was on saving my baby girl and that I would never be able to live with myself if anything happened to her.
I reached my baby girl and scooped her out of the water as she sputtered and coughed. She was okay.
What seemed like millions of different feelings washed over me as I felt grief, relief, anger, and thankfulness. I had never been so grateful to hold my little girl in my arms. I squeezed her, never wanting to let her go again. When we got back to the shore, I hugged her, apologized to her for letting her down, and told her over and over again how much I loved her.
If I ever had a Mommy Fail moment, this was it. I felt like such a failure as a mother—like I had not
cared for the gifts God had given me. Still when I think of this, I feel disappointment with myself.
But what I have to remind myself every time is this:
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. – Romans 3:23
Only God can decide if this nightmare was of “sin” status. Regardless, what I take from this is that we all fall short. We all fail sometimes. The only person who ever obtained perfection was Jesus Christ, Himself.
That’s why He sent His Son. What a wonderfully perfect gift is grace. You can’t earn it even if you try.
A wonderfully perfect gift is grace. You can’t earn it if you try. @mtmblogger #imperfectmom Share on XYou’ll receive it even if you don’t deserve it. What matters is that it’s free and that, even though we fail a million times over, it’s still offered to us.
Your “Mommy Fail” may be worse than mine or no where close to that bad. What matters it that God sees them all the same, just like our sins. And that we’re offered the same grace no matter how good or bad we are.
Take that with you today, and when you fail (because we all do daily!), remind yourself that you still have God’s wonderfully perfect gift of grace to carry with you.
remind yourself that you still have God’s perfect gift of grace. @mtmblogger #imperfectmom Share on X
About the Author: Whitney is a stay-at-home mom to two girls, ages 8 and 6 and wife to Prince Charming. She loves Jesus; reading; writing; and all things books, music, and art. Her blog, Making the Most, is a faith-focused lifestyle blog that seeks to share ideas, recipes, and more for the purpose of helping others make the most of their everyday lives. You’re welcome to visit her on Facebook, or Twitter, Pinterest.
