Faster than a speeding spatula!!!!

I don't know why, but cooking seems to be one of those standards by which women gauge their success or failure.  It happens in all ages and stages and walks of life.  It seems there is some magical finish line that we all race to, and if we do not meet the expectations, then we feel like we fail.  It does not matter whether you are a working mom, a single mom, or a stay-at-home mom, we all are prone to trying to be SUPERMOM.

My mother was one of those women who made amazing food every night and made it look easy.  She was a natural at it. You know those nights where we say "I don't want to fuss tonight I just want something quick and easy."?  In my mother's world, quick and easy was seared pork tenderloin with raspberry garlic sauce.  So in many ways, my mother set the bar very high when it came to food.    As a teen, I remember not being very interested in learning to cook.   Now as a wife and mom I have found cooking can be a great joy for me!  I love to cook a good meal for people who enjoy eating.  Yes it's part of my job as wife and mom, and there are days when I don't want to do it, but for the most part it is something I enjoy. 

Working on getting off life's superhighway has made me realize I have to leave space for "therapeutic cooking".  But I also need to be ok with it when life calls for a quick frozen meal, or a throw it in the crock pot meal.  Some days I look up and it's 5pm before I've begun to think about what we are going to eat.  Praise God for frozen chicken nuggets and fries!   Some days I'm in a cooking mood and I can bake a bunch of bread and cookies and make an awesome meal.  Then there are days I just don't care, or days other things have to take precedence.  On those days, I am more than willing to accept the help a frozen bag of meatballs can give me.

As I thought about cooking, I realized that many times this is a place many of us falter and feel like failures. WHY? 

I hear it all the time.  Women "shoulding" all over themselves.  "Oh, Betty makes homemade pies, I should do that",  " Gina makes a month of freezer meals at a time! I should do that!",  "I really should make my own bread, my neighbor said it's not that hard"    Do you hear it? Should, Should, Should!   As my pastor once said "No one likes to be should all over."  

Now learning a new cooking technique is not a bad thing.  It's admirable if you have the skill and desire to make your own bread, or pies.   I applaud women who make freezer meals for weeks at one shot. 
 
Actually at some point I have tried to do all of those things I listed above.  I've done the freezer meal thing a few times, I liked the freedom it gave me.  I have made my own bread, and yes, I have even ground my own wheat!   While it was interesting to try, it’s not something I do all the time.  

Sometimes I think that cooking becomes less about actually feeding our family, and more about completing some sort of “Motherhood Merit Badge” we’ve concocted in our own minds.  At times I just end up in a frenzy of activity thinking I am doing what's best for my family when I really need to check my motivations. 

Is my real motivation to make myself feel worthwhile and valuable for something I do?  Am I trying to find validation in the completion of some “SUPERMOM Checklist” I have created from the various people I look up to?  

I need to remember that accomplishing what the Lord has for me that day, will water my soul and feed my heart in a way nothing else will. How easy it is to forget this!!!   I need to follow HIS list first, before I follow mine. 

 I know there have been times in my quest to be a good homemaker where I have chosen the wrong thing.   At times, I have gotten so caught up in cooking that I've forgotten to cuddle on the couch and read to my daughter.   Honestly, I’m sure there have been times when my kitchen has been clean but my kids have been lonely.

We all fall short. Sometimes we all end up with misplaced priorities. 

I can't BE everything.  I can't DO everything, nor should I try.   At some point ladies, we have to be ok with the fact that we simply CANNOT do it all!  Enjoy what your good at, celebrate your friend’s talents, but do not try to make yourself into a carbon copy of some woman you admire, but are not.   I have been so guilty of this at times. 

God wants us to learn new skills and grow, but not at the cost of our relationship with Him or our families. 

Lord, today help me to remember to check your list first, and to leave my own false sense of SUPERMOM behind.