Well, it’s been a long week. I lost my temper a couple of times toward great people that didn’t deserve it (at work! And we know I’m a pastor, right?) and I’m almost positive I made at least four bad decisions. I don’t believe that my children ate even one green thing for dinner even one time so yeah, there were some mom failures there as well.

But tomorrow I will wake up, get my kids off to school, and throw my shoes on for 10 miles. It may go great, it may go lousy, but that time will belong to only me. And in those 2 hours I will feel strong, and centered and alive. I will practice gratitude and thank God for all his many gifts for which, even in my self doubt and berating, I am intensely thankful for.

And I will remember that no matter how many mistakes I made this week, I am loved by God and I am enough. Flawed, imperfect, failing to meet other people’s expectations (especially my own!) I am enough.

I’m starting  Brene Brown’s Ecourse on Sunday based on her book The Gifts of Imperfection and I am very excited. I’m also loving that I’m doing it with a group of friends (all of whom are also in ministry in some shape or fashion) and we can experience it together. If you’ve never seen her speak, or heard her Ted Talk on shame, do yourself a huge act of kindness and watch it!

She said something recently that really hit home for me – it was something like the areas where we tend to feel the most perfectionist tendencies are the areas where we fear the most shame. Ouch. That girl REALLY has to get out of my head:).

I’ve been on this journey for a while – with my counselor, and with my Jesus. But it’s time to be done for good. I hope you’ll consider joining me because I’ve never met a woman who doesn’t struggle with these issues. And if you’re that woman that doesn’t, maybe do it anyway so you can better relate to those of us that do.

Sleep well, Friends. You are loved and you are good enough.

And happy running.

Jen