Being generous, being enough

I'm planning our November Neoga MOPS meeting. I've been watching the theme videos, and one about being generous captures my attention. After all, the holidays are quickly approaching and our desires to be generous with our money, time, and our very selves are about to come to a crescendo.The holidays are also a time where our biggest doubts as moms can get the better of us. I think I know why.

We constantly compare. And our conclusion is always the same: we aren't enough. Someone else is always thinner, richer, more put together, more patient, better at that thing than we are. And it's true.  But no one is as uniquely gifted as you are. You are God's creation, and you are awesome.  

Perfect, no. But awesome? Yes.

If we stepped back just a little we'd see that no one else compares us the way we compare ourselves to others. To the people we love we are everything. Imperfect, but unselfish.

We focus on the scarcity in our lives and forget about the abundance. If we're feeling tired, we focus on our lack of sleep instead of the abundance of health and energy from our kids. 

I say this even as a consistently sleep-deprived mom. At nearly 12 months-old, Harper is still struggling with both day and nighttime sleep. But she's healthy, passing new milestones every day, and becoming her own little person. Instead of focusing on the scarcity of sleep, I could try and be thankful for an otherwise normal and healthy baby. Some days I grumpily snap at her or anyone else nearby. And I need to learn to take better care of myself to avoid that, it's true. But when I'm able to wrap my hands around a warm cup of coffee, sit down for a hot minute, say a quick prayer and adjust my attitude, I am usually able to smile, breathe, and try again.

I have a scarcity of space in my house. But when guests come to stay or we have people over for dinner, there is no shortage of laughs, stories, or warmth. I hope what we lack in space we make up for in heart and hospitality.  

We can turn the scarcity, which is sometimes just in our own heads, into abundance when we bravely decide to offer ourselves--no more, no less, just us. We are enough. We are worthy.  

Being generous is just giving of yourself. Imperfect, messy, but from the heart. It's not always wrapped up neatly with a bow. No one can give what we can give in the way we can give it. Being generous is brave.  

What is one thing you can do this week to be generous with your money, time, or talent?